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[hockeygod]

Hakstol says college teams at disadvantage in recruiting wars with CHL

Roman Augustoviz, Star Tribune, Jan 31 2012

All the talk this week is about football recruiting. But Monday was a huge recruiting day in college hockey for that team with no nickname: North Dakota.

UND got commitments from forwards Adam Tambellini of Vernon of the BCHL and Bryn Chyzyk of Fargo of the USHL.

Tambelllini is the son of Edmonton Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini. He visited Grand Forks when the Gophers played there on Jan. 13.

Chyzyk has 20 goals and 31 points for the Force. He will join UND next season. Tambellini, 17, is coming to Grand Forks in 2013-14 after another season in the BCHL. Tambellini has 20 goals and 38 points for the Vipers.

But UND coach Dave Hakstol was not so pleased about his team's recruiting success on Jan. 13, when he appeared at a UND boosters luncheon at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

A four-column headline in the Grand Forks Herald's sports cover two days earlier had this headline: Prized recruit bails.

Stefan Matteau, the leading scorer on the under-18 U.S. team, had changed his mind. He was going to play for Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League instead of UND next season. He signed his national letter of intent in November, but BBA traded for his rights this month of one of their coaches is his father.

UND also lost J.T. Miller, who also had signed a national letter of intent, last July. He went to the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League.

Even though it was Minnesota week in Fargo, Hakstol spend a good deal of time talking about recruiting to the several hundred people at the luncheon. And he appears ready to lead a coaches' charge to weaken the CHL's ability to keep recruiting signed players.

"We lost a recruit this week," Hakstol said. "I don't want to talk about the young man and the family. I don't think that is a classy thing to do. Those things remain where they belong, and that is behind closed doors.

"We lost a pretty good potential player to our program. We lost one last summer as well. My mentality right now — there is a good recruiting battle. It is fun when you get into recruiting battles with Wisconsin, Boston College, Michigan, with Duluth, with Minnesota.

"You go into those things and you are fully armed with the things you do well. And you can tell your story. Kids make good decisions after they take time to find the right spot for them.

"Now we have a second recruiting battle with the CHL," Hakstol said. "We are going in with our hands absolutely tied behind our backs. It's a one-way battle. We are not able to go up and recruit those players. [If] the CHL can get a young man to play one game or not even to play a game, just sign a contract. That player can no longer play college hockey.

"[But] they can come down here and from the age of 14, 15 through 19, 20, they can recruit the talent coming into college hockey."

NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from contacting recruits until June 15 after their sophomore season.

"I have been really down the middle of the road on this for a long time," Hakstol said. "I am getting to the side where, it is time for our coaches' body to seriously consider opening up major junior because all of a sudden, I think the recruiting battle maybe tilts a little bit our way.

"I believe in our product. I think college hockey is a great way to develop, not only as a hockey player but you develop into the young man that is going to be successful the rest of your life.

"I am pretty sure right now Cary [Eades], Dane [Jackson], myself and the rest of our staff could go up somewhere in the CHL, somewhere across Canada, and recruit a pretty darn good 18-year-old to come in and replace the young man that we just lost this past week."

Of course, NCAA rules would not permit Hakstol and his assistants to sign anyone who has a CHL contract.

"It is certainly not a crusade of mine, but it is something I want to seriously start talking about," Hakstol said. "So that is something that has been discussed, but something that I am going to bring to the forefront just a little bit. Just so that when you get into a recruiting battle, you actually have a chance to come out on the right side.

"That is something that is going to be interesting over the next couple of years. Not in the short term, but over the next couple of years for our coaching body."

Paul Kelly, executive director of College Hockey Inc., according to a Grand Forks Herald story, is tring to enact some sort of legistlation that would block players who have signed national letters of intent to go to the CHL until after one season of college hockey.

The CHL vs. NCAA recruiting battle hasn't affected the Gophers much. They don't recruit Canadian players as much as UND does.

SHORT SHOTS

* Gophers sophomore Nate Condon needs one more shorthanded goal to tie the single-season school record of five. Steve Griffith had five shorties in 1982-83 as did Peter Hankinson in 1989-90.

Condon almost got his fifth last Friday against St. Cloud State but his shot hit a post with about 1:20 left.

* The WCHA would have only three teams in the NCAA field if the tournament was starting today because of the conference's poor record in nonconference games against the CCHA (10-14-1) and Hockey East (5-7-3).

* The Gophers were cleaning up on national (three) and conference (four) awards in October and November, but since have only one. Defenseman Mark Alt was named the WCHA's offensive player of the week on Dec. 13.

* In preseason polls, the Gophers were rated No. 19 by USCHO.com and unranked by USA Today which only ranks 15 teams. They have been in the top 10 in both polls since Oct. 17, in other words for 15 consecutive weeks.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Bohonos in, Howarth out

Reuben Villagracia, Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, January 31, 2012

The Thunder Bay North Stars named former NHLer Lonny Bohonos as their interim head coach on Monday — one day after letting go of the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s most decorated bench boss in controversial fashion.

Bohonos, 38, has lived in Thunder Bay for the past six years and was coach with the Thunder Bay Kings AAA organization’s bantam and midget teams in recent seasons. The Winnipeg native played 12 years of professional hockey, including 83 games with the Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bohonos will make his junior coaching debut Wednesday at Fort William Gardens when the North Stars face the reigning league champion Wisconsin Wilderness.

“The ownership group . . . welcome(s) Lonny to the team and wish he and the players well in the remainder of the regular season, throughout the playoffs and along the road to the Dudley-Hewitt Cup,” North Stars president and co-owner David Dubinsky said in a release Monday.

The hiring came in the wake of Todd Howarth’s sudden departure from the club. On Monday, Howarth claimed he didn’t step down as the North Stars’ head coach as the team had announced.

Howarth had met with Dubinsky on Sunday and was told he was being let go. A press release came out later that evening stating Howarth had left due to personal reasons.

“They’re using me as a fall guy,” Howarth said in a phone interview in which he says he never received a salary for the past two seasons. “All the years I’ve been here, there’s nobody that spends more time coaching in a year.

“My teams never quit. Ever. And I didn’t either. Let’s be honest here,” he added.

Howarth said management wasn’t pleased with his coaching style — or as he put it, “I’m not politically correct.” The North Stars’ up-and-down record of 21-15-5 didn’t help either.

Howarth admitted confusion arose between himself and Dubinsky when they talked about how they wanted to make the move public.

“I left the meeting saying, ‘Say whatever the (expletive) you want,’” he recalled. “I have the right to be mad.”

Calls made to Dubinsky on Monday night after the announcement of Bohonos’ hiring were not returned.

Bohonos has big shoes to fill. Howarth was the longest serving coach with one team in the short history of the SIJHL.

In nine and a half years, Howarth’s North Stars went 363-94-32 in the regular season and posted a 74-31-2 mark in the playoffs with five league titles and one Dudley-Hewitt Cup (Central Canada championship) under their belts. Thunder Bay is hosting this year’s Dudley-Hewitt Cup tournament in April.

Howarth was also upset with the reputation that’s surrounded his team as too rough and tumble to attract sponsors.

“People are saying that they won’t sponsor this organization because of Todd Howarth,” said the 41-year-old Dryden native. “I guess winning all these years doesn’t count. At the end of the day, you don’t have to like me, but the record speaks for itself.”

When the team was in financial trouble last year, Howarth poured money out of his own pocket for road trips and equipment. The money won’t likely be recovered.

“I’ve got no ill things to say against Mr. Dubinsky (and the other co-owners). I got nothing,” Howarth said. “They stepped up and saved the organization. At the end of the day, I stepped up too. . . . And I’m the one getting hurt here.”

One of Howarth’s assistant coaches, Jason Firth, has also left the team. Howarth said he isn’t aware of the status of the rest of his coaching and training staff. His son, Isaac, will remain on the team, but Howarth confirmed veteran defenceman Kyle Breukelman decided to end his junior career before this coaching change was made.

“I’ve been on the phone with young men all day today,” Howarth said when asked if he’s talked to his players. “I’ve brought kids from all over the country here. They’re pretty upset.”

Bohonos is just the third coach of the North Stars franchise which started in 2001 as one of the SIJHL flagship programs, the Thunder Bay Wolves. Dave Simpson coached the Wolves in the inaugural season before Howarth stepped in before the 2002-2003 campaign.

As the North Stars, the team — with Howarth behind the bench and the late Gary Cook as the general manager — were a powerhouse with three consecutive SIJHL crowns from 2004 to 2006.

The 2006 edition of the North Stars featured current AHL goaltender Carter Hutton and rookie NHL defenceman Robert Bortuzzo. They reached the semifinal of the Royal Bank Cup nationals.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Memories of McCrimmon bring smiles every time

RANDY SPORTAK, QMI Agency, Feb 2 2012

CALGARY – Mention Brad McCrimmon to anybody who met him and watch for the smile.

Almost every time, it’ll be on everybody’s face.

“That’s because anyone he talked to has fond memories of Beast,” said Detroit Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom.

“He brought a smile to all the people he touched.”

The Flames honoured McCrimmon prior to Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, remembering the defenceman who was part of the team’s 1989 Stanley Cup-winning squad and a former captain and assistant coach in Calgary.

McCrimmon died in the Sept. 7, 2011, plane crash that killed nearly everybody involved with the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl club.

Every Flames player wore a jersey with “McCrimmon” and the No. 4 on their backs in the warm-up — the sweaters will be auctioned off for charity — and also had decals with “4 BRAD” on their helmets.

And it was fitting on a night with McCrimmon’s parents and family on hand, the Red Wings were in town, being another club McCrimmon played for and coached.

The night included another twist, a moment of applause instead of silence, appropriate for the man who tried to find laughter in everything.

“I heard a million stories from him, and all of them made me laugh,” said Wings defenceman Brad Stuart.

“You could tell he missed playing because he loved to be around the boys. I think that drove him to coach.”

The Flames acquired McCrimmon prior to the 1987-88 season and he spent three seasons in Calgary, his final as team captain.

After retiring in 1997, he became an assistant coach, first with the New York Islanders before joining the Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and finally Detroit.

He left to be a head coach in the KHL.

He may be gone, but McCrimmon left a legacy.

“He always loved to walk around with no shirt. He was a pretty hairy guy and he would just throw a skimpy towel on and walk from the shower (to the coaches offices),” said Flames captain Jarome Iginla.

“Guys would give it to him, but he loved it and would do it more. He was a character.”

Lidstrom, the six-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenceman, had McCrimmon as a playing partner his first season — 1991-92 — and to this day relishes how McCrimmon and his wife, Maureen, took care of him and his now-wife, Annika.

“He and Maureen took care of us off the ice and he took care of me on the ice,” Lidstrom said.

IN THE CREASE

Tim Hortons unveiled its Flames donuts, but the tasty treat isn’t a traditional donut making an ‘O’. Maybe, as one smart-aleck wag said, the donuts “are like the team, no centres.” Create your own joke about them being cream-filled … So, no Tomas Holmstrom because his creaky knees were swollen due to injections. That meant Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff didn’t have Holmstrom “accidentally” falling on him the usual five or six times … Props to Wings forward Justin Abdelkader for eventually getting up after being nailed in the foot by an Iginla blast. Abdelkader later tried to block another Iginla shot … The Flames lone healthy scratch was D Anton Babchuk for the fourth straight game.

OFF THE GLASS

How’s that for a change? Flames Tim Jackman gives blood like no one in memory, but it’s Detroit’s Mike Commodore leaking from the face after a first-period fight … Another game, another Flames player injured. Lee Stempniak left in the first period due to a “lower-body” injury … Not often you see a stick, broken at that, caught in a player’s sweater, let alone that player skate from one end of the ice and almost back without noticing as was the case for Wings forward Jan Mursak … The Flames had best learn how to close out games against good teams when they’re tied in the third period.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Warmington: Wilson did the right thing:
Leafs coach did the right thing behind the bench last night, even Grapes would approve

Joe Warmington ,Toronto Sun, February 01, 2012

TORONTO – That’s more like it, coach.

Turns out Ron Wilson does care after all. And perhaps does pay attention to what Don Cherry says.

Cherry criticized the Leafs bench boss last month on Coach’s Corner, saying Wilson doesn’t “care” because he didn’t join his fellow coaches in applauding the more than 500 Canadian troops who were on hand for Armed Forces Appreciation Night.

But that was then.

Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Maple Leafs coach joined the rest of the Air Canada Centre on their feet and applauded for two of Canada’s bravest during the third period’s Luke’s Troops celebration.

The truth is, how could you not clap for these heroes?

The referees did, players did and visiting coaches did.

The story of Sgt. Cameron Laidlaw, 33 and his wife, Master Cpl. Nicole Laidlaw, 26, is the stuff of movies.

In 2007 and ’08 they served together in Afghanistan — he with the 3rd Royal Canadian Regiment in infantry combat and she as a patrolling member of the Military Police.

They were often just 5 km apart, although boyfriend and girlfriend didn’t see each other for a whole year.

Having seen so many friends killed and so many severely wounded, it was a rough time for both, but they were so proud to help liberate the Afghan people from the oppressive Taliban.

Cameron himself wounded in the same bomb blast that killed his close pals, Sgt. Rob Short and Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger.

“It stays with you,” Laidlaw said of being in such an explosion. He received a concussion and facial lacerations and is lucky to be alive. “Those guys, and all of the men and women who died there, are with us here tonight and we thank Luke Schenn for hosting military personnel and veterans of war at these games.”

When they were patrolling the rough zones near Kandahar, neither knew whether they would see each other again — let alone know if they’d even get to come home.

Then came time for leave.

Cameron was not going to take any chances.

“We arranged to meet in Australia,” said Cameron. “I knew I was going to propose to her.”

If he did, Nicole said, she was going to say, “Yes.”

They survived the war and, after coming home, both were stationed here in Toronto, where she’s a copper at CFB Downsview and he’s a trainer.

But the best news came one year ago with the birth of their daughter, Emma.

“It’s a blessing,” said Nicole, adding that they take nothing for granted.

Every story the great Andy Frost reads out at Leafs’ home games is compelling, but this one had a lot of tears in people’s eyes — particularly when he said Cameron will receive his medal for courage in two weeks.

Cherry’s original comment sparked a war of words and an admission from Maple Leafs boss Brian Burke that he went to the CBC to complain.

Cherry said this complaint was lodged to “deflect” attention from the fact the team has not made the playoffs in so many years.

That may be the case, but when everybody was standing there at the ACC cheering on these terrific young people in uniform, it was a very special patriotic moment and one that made me realize time’s too precious for petty disputes.

The Leafs won the game last night and, as usual, the classy organization showed why it is the envy of the sports world.

Every once in a while, Canadians need to be reminded of how we have our freedoms and such a great life — and there were two soldiers on hand Wednesday night who did exactly that.

It’s pretty difficult not to applaud that and I didn’t see anyone at the Air Canada Centre who disagreed.

Including Ron Wilson.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Tkachuk feels Kane's pain: Ex-Jet knows what life in Winnipeg fishbowl all about

PAUL FRIESEN, QMI Agency, Feb 2 2012

WINNIPEG – He was young, rich and carried himself with the self-assurance of a star-in-the-making.

And occasionally, he forgot he was living in the fishbowl that is Winnipeg.

If anybody can identify with Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane, it’s former Jets star Keith Tkachuk.

“I kind of feel for what he’s going through,” Tkachuk was saying from his home in St. Louis, Wednesday. “It’s definitely overwhelming.”

Tkachuk has been reading about the attention Kane has attracted since moving here with the Atlanta Thrashers. And if he sees some similarities to his own days as a Jet, well, it’s because there are a few.

A thick, power forward with a heavy shot and soft hands, Tkachuk joined the Jets from Boston University just before he turned 20, in 1992.

It didn’t take long before the goals and the money were piling up — along with the rumours.

“Being in the spotlight, I definitely wasn’t ready for that,” Tkachuk said. “And sometimes I took advantage of it. But you forget that all eyes are on you.”

Simply put, Tkachuk had a reputation as a guy who didn’t shy away from a party.

“Sure I liked to have a good time,” he said, chuckling. “I just didn’t know any better at the time, and certainly made some bad decisions that you look back now … that’s part of the growing up process.

“I had my share of fun. But I’ve learned that if you make some poor decisions, it’s going to catch up to you. If you want to play hockey, you’ve got to do the right things and take care of yourself.”

Tkachuk took good enough care of himself to play 17 seasons, score 538 regular-season goals and make tens of millions of dollars.

At this point, Kane can only dream of a career like that.

At 20, and already earning $3 million per season, Kane was on pace for a 30-goal campaign before a 10-game slump, then a concussion, slowed him down.

He’s also on pace to be buried under a mountain of rumours. How the concussion happened in a bar fight, how he’s walked out on restaurant bills — the list goes on.

“I don’t believe any of that,” Tkachuk said. “If you’re Evander, or whoever it is, and you get that negative stuff, you don’t blame him to be unhappy. That’s just unfair for people to do that. It’s a lot of jealousy from people.

“I’m a big Evander Kane fan. Leave the kid alone, let him play. Let him enjoy the city. It’s just a few people who like to tear down other people.”

And it could affect whether or not Kane wants to stay in Winnipeg, Tkachuk warned.

“The people who work in these restaurants and the fans should be very careful,” he said. “Look at what the Jets have done for the economy. I’d be very careful of doing that to players.”

That’s not to say Kane and his teammates don’t have to be careful, too.

After all, today’s mistake can turn into tomorrow’s headline. You only have to look at Dustin Byfuglien’s impaired boating charge to see what a little fun can become.

Tkachuk may have avoided that kind of headline. But who knows how many he may have generated if they’d had camera phones and Twitter in the early-1990s.

“I’m glad there wasn’t,” he said. “It’s a different world, now. You have to adjust to it.”

Soon to be 40, and with three kids of his own, including a couple of hockey-playing boys, 14 and 12, Tkachuk acknowledges today’s Jets probably aren’t as footloose and fancy-free as they were in his day.

But he has some advice for them, just the same.

“You just rely on your teammates and the organization, friends, and make sure you take care of business on the ice,” he said. “And just be careful what you do. Be very, very careful. Put yourself in good positions, responsible positions, and don’t add fuel to the fire.”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

HODGEMAIL: WHICH GENERAL MANAGER IS THE NHL'S BEST TRADER?

TSN.CA STAFF, 2/2/2012

TSN's Dave Hodge sounds off on all the hockey issues of the day in Hodgemail. Write in to answer Dave's question and watch the NHL on TSN tonight to see if he reads your response.

It's getting down to the wire for NHL general managers.

On Monday, Feb. 27 they will be front and centre on trade deadline day, looking to make the right deals to help their team make a playoff run, or in some cases, get the team into position to become an eventual contender.

While Brian Burke gets plenty of attention for his active approach in trying to improve his teams, there are also other GMs in the league who have successful track records.

And it's no coincidence that their teams are among the top teams in the NHL.

Take Mike Gillis of the Vancouver Canucks. At last year's trade deadline, he made two depth moves – acquiring Chris Higgins and Maxim Lapierre – that were integral to the Canucks reaching the Cup final.

Boston GM Peter Chiarelli swung a pair of deals that helped shape a Cup winner. His trade of Phil Kessel landed them a draft pick that turned into Tyler Seguin, who was a key contributor to the Bruins' championship season. He also stabilized the blue line by picking up Tomas Kaberle.

Ken Holland has made a living out of snagging key pieces to keep the Detroit Red Wings one of the premier franchises in the league for more than a decade. His list of pickups over the years includes Brendan Shanahan, Chris Chelios, Mathieu Schneider and Todd Bertuzzi.

And Flyers GM Paul Holmgren wasn't afraid to deal two cornerstones of his team this offseason, dealing captain Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and getting Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek.

So with the trade deadline looming, here's Dave's question to you: Which general manager is the NHL's best trader?

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Mr. Hockey remains larger than life: Gordie Howe chats with the media in Kamloops on Wednesday.

Gregg Drinnan, TAKING NOTE, February 1, 2012

More than 30 years have passed since Gordie Howe played his last competitive hockey game.

It was a playoff game with the NHL’s Hartford Whalers in the spring of 1980.

All these years later, Mr. Hockey remains larger than life.

To a certain segment of our population, having Gordie Howe walk among them is like rubbing shoulders with Captain America or Sgt. Rock. There was a time when Howe was as mythical as any of those comic book characters.

Believe it or not, hockey didn’t use to be on TV every night. Back in the day, Hockey Night in Canada meant one game on a Saturday night. For a while, there also was a Wednesday night game on CTV but that didn’t have near the cachet of Foster Hewitt and Saturday night.

If you wanted hockey news, you subscribed to The Hockey News, and who cared that it always was a week or two after the fact.
Gordie Howe, who will turn 84 on March 31, was a true icon.

You knew Mr. Hockey was an icon because your elbow and shoulder pads came out of the Eaton’s catalogue. Why? Because those were the ones Gordie Howe wore in the pictures in that same catalogue.

Mr. Hockey, sans elbow pads, was at Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday. He met with the media for a bit of a gabfest in the afternoon and later, with the Kamloops Blazers playing the Spokane Chiefs, rubbed shoulders with folks, signed some things and threw the odd elbow. Hey, old habits and all that.

Howe always will be remembered as the greatest of all the Detroit Red Wings. Never mind that he later played for the World Hockey Association’s Houston Aeros and New England Whalers, before finishing up with the NHL’s Whalers at the age of 52.

With the Red Wings, Howe played on the Production Line, alongside Sid Abel, ol’ Bootnose, and Ted Lindsay, who was Scarface long before Al Pacino. Later, Alex Delvecchio, who was affectionately known as Fats, replaced Abel. In time, Frank Mahovlich, the Big M, took over from Lindsay.

And then, on Jan. 13, 1971, the Red Wings traded Mahovlich to the Montreal Canadiens for forwards Mickey Redmond, Bill Collins and Guy Charron.

Charron, today the Blazers’ head coach, had split the season between the Canadiens and their AHL affiliate, the Montreal Voyageurs.

When Detroit head coach Doug Barkley called, Charron expected he would be told to report to the Red Wings’ Central league affiliate, the Fort Worth Wings.

“He said, ‘No, you’re going to play with Howe and Delvecchio tomorrow night,’ ” Charron recalls. “I think I might have choked on the phone.”

Charron made his Detroit debut in a 2-2 tie with the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I travelled on game day and played with Howe and Delvecchio that night,” Charron says. “I’ll never forget it.

“Alex set me up with a breakaway . . . and I hit the goal post.”

Charron remembers sitting in Detroit’s locker-room before the game.

“I’m basically a rookie and I’m minding my own business, a French-Canadian boy,” Charron recalls. “Gordie came up and both him and Alex said, ‘You know, don’t worry about it. You’re going to play with us. Just do your thing and we’ll adapt to you.’ ”

Charron, who was 10 days from his 21st birthday, was dumbstruck. Jean, his older brother by 18 years, was thrilled. Howe always had been his favourite player. Guy, a 5-foot-10 left winger, preferred Dick Duff, who was about his size and played the same position for the beloved Canadiens in the late-1960s.

Later, the Red Wings were playing the Bruins in Boston.

“I’m a gung-ho 21-year-old kid,” Charron says with a chuckle. “We’re in Boston and Gordie’s in a corner. I had heard of his reputation but you’re going to try to go in and help out.

“We came back to the bench and he said, ‘Guy, when I’m in the corner, don’t worry about coming in. Just be in position to get the puck.’ ”

Charron pauses. Then he laughs.

“I always tell people that’s why I never went in the corners,” he says. “Gordie Howe told me not to.”

Even today, there is reverence in Charron’s voice when he talks of Howe.

“He was always an awesome man,” Charron says. “He’s a very special man.”

In retirement, Howe has proved to be everything we hope our heroes will be. He also turned out to be mortal, just like the rest of us, although most of us can only hope to carry ourselves with such grace in our golden years.

For so many years, his wife, Colleen, had stood by her man and dictated the terms by which others could share him. Then, when Colleen was struck by Pick’s disease, a horrible affliction with similarities to Alzheimer’s, Howe stood by her, all but refusing to leave her side as he cared for her.

Colleen was 76 when she died on March 6, 2009, leading to what surely has been the three toughest years of Howe’s life.

Now he spends time with his four children — daughter Cathy and sons Murray, Mark and Marty — and their families. He tried going it alone but the home he and Colleen had shared for so long is too empty without her.

The last while, he has been with Marty in Hartford. Marty now looks after his father’s bookings and travel arrangements. Marty is always at his father’s side, too. Gordie’s voice now is as quiet as a skate blade cutting through butter. These days, it’s hard to picture Gordie as an NHLer who, according to Marty, lived by the Golden Rule: “Do unto others before they do unto you.”

“If I was hit, I was going to hit back,” Gordie says and, just for a moment, that steely-eyed look flashes across his visage. Then he chuckles.

Gordie is at an age where thoughts oftentimes are fleeting, so Marty is there to help. When Gordie’s mind wanders, Marty, who’ll be 58 on Feb. 18, often finishes the thought.

They’ll be in Vancouver today — the Red Wings play the Canucks there tonight and there is some promotional work to do with Baycrest, a firm that deals with “innovations in aging and brain health.” On Friday, Gordie will be honoured at a game between the Blazers and Vancouver Giants. He and Giants majority owner Ron Toigo are friends.

While his four children share him, he continues to share himself with his game and his fans, as he was doing last night at Interior Savings Centre.

As you watch him, you realize that in the twilight of his life, the arena is his home, hockey people are his friends. You realize that this is where he is most comfortable, that he needs the people now the way the people once needed him.

We only hope that we can give back to him what he once gave to us.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Gordie Howe's latest battle taken public

Gregg Drinnan, Taking Note, Feb 2 2012

Gordie Howe and his son, Marty, spent about 20 minutes with a few members of the Kamloops media on Wednesday afternoon.

The Howes were in Kamloops for a promotion involving the Blazers, who were playing the Spokane Chiefs that evening.

The Howes then had to be in Vancouver for a Thursday promotion and another WHL game on Friday, with the Blazers meeting the Vancouver Giants.

It was obvious from the outset that Gordie, who will turn 84 on March 31, has grown old. However, none of us who were in attendance were aware that Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press had been in conversation with the Howe family and had prepared a story on Gordie and the onset of dementia. That story hit the Internet Thursday morning.

It describes the Gordie Howe we visited with in Kamloops.

Were this 20 years ago, it would be a simple case of Gordie having grown old, just like your favourite uncle, the one who always smells so good and who always has that hug for you but has grown forgetful. These days, however, that isn’t enough. We have to find a particular label to slap on someone who is forgetful, whose mind wanders, who has problems maintaining a thought.

Hey, Gordie still told some entertaining stories; it’s just that they may not have had a whole lot to do with the question he was asked. There also were times when he started to answer a question only to have his mind wander off in a different direction.

But he had that familiar glint in his eyes when he talked about the reputation he earned during his NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings.

“If somebody spears you, you know you’ll get a heavier stick,” he said, and you wondered if the look in his eyes was the one he carried around on the ice with him.

The Howe family obviously has a full understanding of what is happening (Murray, the youngest son, is a doctor who helped care for his mother, Colleen, after she was afflicted with Pick’s disease), which is why Marty, one of his four children, accompanies Gordie everywhere. Oftentimes, Marty will complete an answer that is started by Gordie.

I can tell you, though, that Gordie hasn’t lost his sense of humour.

He walked into the boardroom in the Blazers’ office wearing a Blazers sweater with No. 1 on the back. Obviously made for an equipment-wearing goaltender, it was rather large on him.

“You work like hell to lose some weight and look at this,” a smiling and chuckling Howe said as he pulled the sweater out at the waist to show just how large it was.

Later, when asked about a handsome ring he was wearing, he responded: “It’s mine.”

It was hard not to watch Howe for those 20 minutes and think about how Mr. Hockey has gotten old, just like so many people before us. He is at a point on the road to where we all are headed.

Some of us will get there; some of us won’t. Those of us who do can only hope to have lived a life as full and as honourable as has Gordie Howe.

In the meantime, should you be fortunate enough to come in contact with Gordie, enjoy him. He is a national – nay, international – treasure

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Sittler congratulates Gagner, but is happy to keep points record

CHRIS JOHNSTON, The Canadian Press, Feb. 03, 2012

Darryl Sittler knows exactly how Sam Gagner felt.

“Everything falls into place,” he said Friday in an interview. “Every shot you take pretty well goes in or you make a pass and the guy completes it — it's magical those types of nights, they don't happen very often.”

Like many around the hockey world, Sittler was surprised to wake up and hear of Gagner's eight-point performance in Edmonton's 8-4 victory over Chicago on Thursday night.

The Oilers forward became just the 12th NHL player to record at least that many points in a game — and the first since Mario Lemieux last accomplished the feat Dec. 31, 1988.

Sittler, the former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, continues to hold the NHL record almost 36 years after racking up six goals and four assists in a game against Boston. It remains an evening he still can't really explain.

“I would never have thought that in my wildest dreams that I would be the one to score 10 points in a game, but it happened,” said Sittler. “I'm sure Gagner probably never thought he'd have eight.

“He's been struggling a little bit this season — I don't know if he's had injuries or what it is — but he certainly put up the points last night.”

Gagner's four goals and four assists came in the final 40 minutes of the game. After finishing the second period with three points, he scored the first of three third-period goals at 1:54. He would add two more assist as well.

Sensing what was happening, the fans at Rexall Place chanted “We want 10! We want 10!” — a nod to both a previous blowout win over Chicago and Sittler's record.

Even though scoring in the sport has been greatly reduced since Sittler set his record in 1976, he's still a little surprised it hasn't been challenged. No other NHL player has even reached nine points.

“It's gone on for a long time,” said Sittler. “I guess the fact that there were so many great players like Wayne (Gretzky) and Mario (Lemieux) and Sidney (Crosby) and (Alex) Ovechkin, and the number of years that passed. … I get asked about it all the time.”

The 61-year-old Sittler continues to do work in community relations for the Maple Leafs. He's prepared for the possibility of one day seeing his record matched or surpassed.

“Those things are out of your control,” said Sittler. “If somebody breaks it, that would be great. No different I guess when I tied and broke (Maurice) Rocket Richard's record — a great Canadian hero and he scored it in the ‘40s. I don't think anyone would have thought that somebody else was going to get eight (points) or six (goals) in a game, that sort of thing. And it happened.

“If it happens to somebody, I'd be happy for them. But hey, am I glad to hold the record and would like to continue holding it? Sure, definitely.”

One thing he refused to do is rule out the possibility of it happening.

“If the stars are aligned right and everything is working, it might happen some day,” said Sittler. “I'm glad to have done it in a Leafs uniform and I'm proud to have held the record for as long as I have so far.”

Gagner did manage one entry into the Oilers record book. He tied the franchise mark for most points in a game, joining Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Goal scoring down despite Gagner's magical night

Tim Wharnsby, CBC Sports, February 3, 2012

There have been 26 games since the NHL all-star break and we've seen a bit of everything. We have seen low-scoring games like the 1-0 shootout win from the New York Rangers in Buffalo on Wednesday to Sam Gagner's incredible eight-point outing in the run-and-gun 8-4 win from the Edmonton Oilers at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.

There also have been plenty of nail-biters. Fourteen of the 26 games since the break have been decided by a goal, eight were extended into overtime or a shootout, and another three saw final-minute empty-net goals scored.

"I think the playoffs started weeks ago," a general manager said this week, when asked about all the tight games. "Every game just seems so intense this season, almost like a playoff game every night.

"If you don't get at least a point you feel you've fallen behind the competition."

Down the stretch we can expect to see even more games decided by a goal or extended to overtime or a shootout. But with nine weeks to go, the stats indicate that goal-scoring continues its downward trend since the first season out of the lockout.

The stats also show that the NHL is on pace for an average number of one-goal games and a low total of games that have been extended into overtime. Shootouts are on pace for the third highest total since the lockout.

Average total of goals scored per game (not including SO goal):

2005-06 – 6.11
2006-07 – 5.82
2007-08 – 5.50
2008-09 – 5.68
2009-10 – 5.55
2010-11 – 5.52
2011-12 – 5.36

Number of games extended into OT/SO:

2005-06 – 281
2006-07 – 281
2007-08 – 271
2008-09 – 282
2009-10 – 301
2010-11 – 297
2011-12 – 172 (on pace for 278)

Number of shootouts:

2005-06 – 145
2006-07 – 164
2007-08 – 156
2008-09 – 159
2009-10 – 184
2010-11 – 149
2011-12 – 100 (on pace for 161)

One-goal games:

2005-06 – 592
2006-07 – 567
2007-08 – 553
2008-09 – 567
2009-10 – 588
2010-11 – 586
2011-12 – 353 (on pace for 570)

Does winning a number of one-goal games in the regular season translate into playoff success?

Here is a glance at the leaders in one-goal victories since the lockout, and how the Stanley Cup champion finished in terms of one-goal wins in the regular season:

Most 1-goal wins Stanley Cup champion
2005-06 – Carolina 28 Carolina 28-5-8 – (1)
2006-07 – New Jersey 32 Anaheim 23-10-14 – (18)
2007-08 – New Jersey 27 Detroit 18-11-7 – (16)
2008-09 – San Jose 26 Pittsburgh 19-8-9 – (10)
2009-10 – Phoenix 29 Chicago 23-9-8 – (6)
2010-11 – Anaheim (29) Boston 11-6-2 – (9)
2011-12 – Colorado (17) ????????

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Lanny recalls Sittler's stunner

STEVE MACFARLANE, QMI Agency, Feb 3 2012

Memories of one of the most unforgettable evenings of Lanny McDonald’s NHL career came rushing back.

Watching highlights of Edmonton Oilers centre Sam Gagner’s incredible eight-point performance Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Calgary Flames Hall of Famer was taken back to a record night during his days with the Toronto Maple Leafs, when linemate Darryl Sittler posted six goals and four assists for the first 10-point game in league history.

“I thought I should have been first star that night with four points,” McDonald joked. “It was a fun time.”

The record still stands, although Gagner took a good run at it.

“Quite a night in Edmonton,” McDonald said. “That was unbelievable — holy smokes.

“He was probably hoping Chicago would score a couple so they would have to pull the goalie or something.”

With high-scoring games a rarity these days, an empty net for an extended period of time might be the only way Sittler’s record ever falls.

“I always said if Gretzky didn’t do it and Lemieux didn’t do it, I’m not sure it would happen,” McDonald said. “Lo and behold, here comes Sam Gagner — eight for eight.”

Factoring in each of the Oilers goals in the 8-4 win over the Hawks, Gagner joined a dozen eight-point NHL performances. Two by Wayne Gretzky, a pair by Mario Lemieux and one by each of Maurice Richard, Bert Olmstead, Tom Bladon, Bryan Trottier, Peter Stastny, Anton Stastny, Paul Coffey and Bernie Nicholls.

The Sittler benchmark set Feb. 7, 1976, during an 11-4 Leafs victory over the Boston Bruins, still stands as one of McDonald’s favourite hockey memories.

“What are the chances, first of all, that you would get to be a part of a night like that?” McDonald asks rhetorically. “Few and far between. The fact that Darryl and I are still best friends today, it’s pretty cool.

“It was one of those nights where you couldn’t wait to get back on the ice because every time Darryl went on the ice, you knew something was gonna happen. It was kind of craziness.

“I think he scored two from behind the net. One of his favourite plays — and it drove Roger Neilson crazy — he’d get his big butt up against the boards so he could look out and throw passes back out front. He was facing the play all the time. Roger always wanted his centre icemen to be the first guy back. Darryl said, ‘We’ll be fine. That’s Errol Thompson’s job or Lanny’s job. My job’s to set them up.’

“Well, he not only set them up, he scored like crazy that night. Six goals — God.”

Thompson finished with three assists. McDonald scored the game’s first goal and added three helpers.

Sittler, however, was wearing magical mitts that night.

Before he potted a natural hat-trick in the third period to finish things off in style, his teammates were clamouring for a chance to get out there with him instead of usual linemates McDonald and Thompson.

“Guys were on the bench giggling and laughing,” recalled McDonald. “At that time, you only had 10 forwards. Sometimes they’d dress 11 forwards and five defence.

“Everyone wanted to be on the ice every time he went on the ice.

“Errol and I were telling them, ‘No, he’s ours!’”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

GAGNER HAVING TROUBLE ACCEPTING RECORD-TYING PERFORMANCE

THE CANADIAN PRESS, Feb 3 2012

Sitting at home watching his son make an unlikely assault on the NHL's single-game scoring record, Dave Gagner wasn't getting caught up in the numbers that would leave the hockey world talking.

Instead, he was most excited about what kind of impact they might have on his career.

"I think Sam's a much more mature person than he was three or four years ago," Dave Gagner said Friday in an interview. "I think he's kind of getting to that point where he's very comfortable with who he is. You know, I think he's able to express himself a little bit more now.

"Hopefully this will catapult him to higher levels now."

It's a hope shared by the Edmonton Oilers, who had to create a new entry in their record book alongside Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey following Sam Gagner's eight-point performance against Chicago on Thursday night.

With four goals and four assists, he sped past 90 other NHL players in the scoring charts. It was pretty impressive stuff for someone who has spent much of the season stuck in neutral.

"He's had a lot of people question his ability and stuff like that," said Dave Gagner.

In recent years, that's simply been part of life for Sam Gagner. The sixth overall pick in 2007, he jumped straight into the Oilers lineup as an 18-year-old and had a solid rookie season with 13 goals and 49 points.

Naturally, bigger things were expected, especially since Gagner had scored 118 points during his only season with the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights.

But he's yet to show anywhere near that level of scoring prowess on a consistent basis in the NHL. Looking back, former Knights coach Dale Hunter wonders if another season of junior hockey might have helped his development.

"He was very skilled with us, and they brought him up real young and sometimes you lose your confidence," Hunter, now the coach of the Washington Capitals, told reporters Friday.

Another mitigating factor is the environment in which he's been groomed. The Oilers have bottomed out in recent years, starting a rebuilding cycle that has seen them draft other high-end prospects Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

With all of those players entering the mix and showing promise, it's pushed Gagner slowly out of the spotlight.

"That's hard for a young athlete to handle," said one veteran NHL player, himself a former first-round pick. "It's hard to not feel almost slighted: 'What you like him more than you like me?' After your rookie year, the expectations are different — just because you scored last night doesn't mean they're going to tell you that you did a great job."

This season has come with yet another wrinkle. As Gagner sputtered through the first half (the four goals Thursday nearly doubled his total to nine), his name started to be mentioned in trade rumours.

In fact, that kind of speculation had recently been picking up steam with the NHL's Feb. 27 trade deadline approaching.

"He's had to learn to deal with it," said Dave Gagner.

The atmosphere has undeniably changed after one unexpected night.

Gagner became just the 12th player in NHL history to record at least eight points in a game — and the first since Mario Lemieux last accomplished the feat Dec. 31, 1988.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Darryl Sittler continues to hold the all-time record with a 10-point game against Boston in 1976. Less than a week from the 36th anniversary of that event, he still can't entirely explain it.

"Everything falls into place," Sittler said Friday. "It's magical those types of nights, they don't happen very often. I would never have thought that in my wildest dreams that I would be the one to score 10 points in a game, but it happened.

"I'm sure Gagner probably never thought he'd have eight."

There were certainly very few obvious hints that it was coming. At least from the outside.

Dave Gagner had noticed some improvement in his son's play of late and attributes it to him becoming more "sophisticated" in how he prepares for games. The former NHLer is now director of player development for the Vancouver Canucks and believes Sam is finally putting the proper emphasis on all of the small details needed to be a successful pro.

"I don't think when you're really young you really are convinced that it matters," said Dave Gagner. "But then you find out it's a really difficult league to do well in on a nightly basis because everybody's good and everybody's prepared. You're not really fooling anybody so you have to be just that much sharper in all the things that go into your preparation.

"I think Sam's really understanding that now. He understands it's a very fine line between success and failure."

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

NHL Saturday: Reinstituting red line good talking point

CHRIS STEVENSON, QMI Agency, Feb 3 2012

Now Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, viewed as one of the bright young minds in the game, has added his voice to the minority looking to bring back the red line. (JASON HALSTEAD/QMI Agency)

It will be interesting to see what will be on the agenda for the general managers' meetings next month, but it sounds like reinstituting the red line for purposes of two-line passes is becoming a talking point.

Bringing back the red line has long been an option endorsed by Senators GM Bryan Murray, who thinks little has been gained by having defencemen fire the puck up the ice and have it tipped in by a teammate at the far blue line (then have the other team do exactly the same thing), but it's been a non-starter for many of his colleagues.

Now Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, viewed as one of the bright young minds in the game, has added his voice to the minority looking to bring back the red line.

"I don't see it as wanting to slow the game. You have to look at what the game is now. We changed the rules to make it a more skilled game. It's not a more skilled game," Yzerman told the Tampa Bay Times. "It's shoot the puck down the ice and go chase it. It's about getting the puck in the other team's end and getting there as soon as possible."

Yzerman said he would also be in favour of permitting players to engage a little more in their pursuit of a 50-50 puck.

"That way they can brace themselves and take a hit and give a hit. I don't like to use the word obstruction, but you have to allow guys to engage without being called for interference or holding," he said. "You have to allow the guys to compete."

I know, the usual corners will mumble about how the NHL changes its rules too often, but if something seemed like a good idea at the time and has morphed into something else, do you stick with it just because you're afraid of change?

It's worth talking about.

How will reinstitution of the red line affect, for instance, a 1-3-1 defence? Let the coaches chew it over, too.

HEAR AND THERE: With his eight-point game Thursday night, Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner opened the door to some piling on Habs forward Scott Gomez in Montreal, who has just seven points (all assists) this season. Barring a goal against the Washington Capitals Saturday afternoon, the Habs forward will hit the one-year mark since his last goal Sunday. Fans have organized a celebration if he makes it (www.celebrations-gomez.com/en/). There's even a countdown clock. Le Skratch pool hall has two Montreal-area locations offering free shots when Gomez scores. Cheers! "¦ For those wondering, Randy Cunneyworth is 6-11-2 since taking over the Habs from Jacques Martin. The latter was 13-12-7 when he was dismissed "¦ The Minnesota Wild haven't had much luck against their Minnesota predecessors. The Dallas Stars have won 14 straight at home against the Wild. They meet Saturday.

THE BUZZ: If anybody is looking for a 34-year-old defenceman, please call Wild GM Cliff Fletcher. He's looking to move Marek Zidlicky, who's been butting heads with coach Mike Yeo. The coach isn't happy Zidlicky went public with his unhappiness over not playing. Zidlicky complained that many of his shifts come with the third and fourth lines, so, "if you spend most (of the) time in our zone, you can't do anything." Zidlicky also said he offered the coach some advice on the Wild's unimpressive power play. "First time he said it's not my business, second time, he said it's something different," Zidlicky said. "If he got bad power play, he's the head coach. I respect that." Yeo said he told Zidlicky to worry about his own play, not others.

JUST SAYING: The Columbus Blue Jackets are 13 points out of 29th place and mounting a challenge to the Atlanta Thrashers' record of 19 behind second worst, the standard since the latest round of expansion. But the Jackets are getting the all-star game next year, so at least they've got that going for them "¦ Speaking of the Jackets, they're shopping Jeff Carter all over the place. Is there a team that will give him another shot?

JUST WONDERING: Detroit Red Wings scout Kirk Maltby has been following the Buffalo Sabres around. Could the Wings have an interest in Sabres forward Paul Gaustad? If it's not Gaustad, Canadiens winger Travis Moen could fit the bill for added grit for the Wings "¦ You think the Boston Bruins are happy the Carolina Hurricanes aren't going to make the playoffs? … I'm a Rush fan and all I could think of was the song "Time Stand Still" after the Los Angeles Kings clock fiasco. Apparently a Blue Jackets fan suggested it be played March 8 when the Kings visit the Jackets. That would be outstanding.

THE LAST WORD: "If Scott Gomez sees his shadow today, six more weeks without a goal. #habs #groundhogday" tweet from @MacphersonGaz.

The countdown to the Feb. 27 trade deadline has begun. The list of top players available at the deadline is going to be fluid, but here's a look at five guys who present some of the most interesting situations for their teams.

1. Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils. The Devils are a bubble team and Parise shapes up as potentially the most in-demand free agent this summer. Hang onto him and risk losing him for nothing or keep him around for the playoff push? Hard to see the Devils parting with him, but it's a tough call.

2. Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators. Another potential UFA, he has said he's not interested in signing before the deadline. He wants to see what the Preds do in terms of adding to their team. Can a budget team like the Preds afford to lose him for nothing? Do they wind up using him to make that addition? Is that irony?

3. Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks. The Flying Finn probably doesn't want to go anywhere, but with his experience and enduring scoring touch (47 points in 50 games this year) he would be a great addition for a contending team.

4. Cory Schneider, Vancouver Canucks. He is going to be a restricted free agent in the summer, so the Canucks still have a little leverage, but he has shown he can be a No. 1 and will want that chance. Thing is, can the Canucks afford to move him with the way he's playing and Roberto Luongo's spotty playoff performances?

5. Ryan Smyth, Edmonton Oilers. It normally would be a no-brainer to move a veteran UFA on a rebuilding team, but Smyth is a guy with an emotional attachment to the City of Champions (remember when he left for the New York Islanders in 2007, a move brought to you by Kleenex?) The New York Rangers have interest.

THE GROCERY STICK

Who is — literally or figuratively — heading for or in that comfortable spot on the bench that separates the forwards and the defencemen?

Colorado Avalanche forward David Jones led the Avs with 27 goals last year, but has been a shadow of himself this season (just nine in 43 games). Actually, he was worse than the grocery stick the other night as he was a healthy scratch when the Avs faced the Minnesota Wild. The 27-year-old is due to be an UFA this summer, so there's probably a team out there looking for some depth that will think a change in scenery could help him. Or not.

SOMETHING SPECIAL

New Jersey Devils

Power-play opportunities: 170

Goals: 26

Percentage: 15.3

Rank: 22

The Devils power play is nothing special. What's really remarkable is the Devils have also given up a league-leading 13 short-handed goals. That leaves their power play just +13 on the season, the worst mark in the NHL (the Tampa Bay Lightning is next at +14). The good news is the Devils also have a league-leading 11 short-handed goals, which helps mitigate the power play's issues. Bottom line is you know something is going to happen in a power-play situation either way when the Devils are involved.

AMBULANCE CHASING

Injuries that are having, or could have, a big impact.

Reports out of Detroit say goaltender Jimmy Howard suffered a broken little finger in the Wings' win over the Vancouver Canucks Thursday night. Howard leads the league in wins (32), is fifth in goals-against average (2.03) and eighth in save percentage (.924). The good news is Howard is not expected to miss much time (two weeks. The Wings play six times in next 13 days). Backup Ty Conklin is 3-5 with an .866 save percentage this season. Joey MacDonald has been called up.

GO FIGURE

4

With all the crazy comebacks last week, the remaining number of teams that have not lost a game when leading after two periods this season going into Friday night's games. They are the Boston Bruins (21-0), Vancouver Canucks (21-0), Washington Capitals (15-0) and the Dallas Stars (14-0). Not surprising to note the Columbus Blue Jackets have blown the most leads, six.

4

The number of teams tied for most wins (six) when trailing after two periods. They are the Boston Bruins (6-8-1), Nashville Predators (6-13-0), Ottawa Senators (6-17-1) and Colorado Avalanche (6-18-0). The Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins have come back for five wins when trailing after two.

3

The number of teams that have failed to come back and win when trailing after 40 minutes this season. The Anaheim Ducks haven't done it in 22 such situations (0-21-1). The Winnipeg Jets are 0-17-3 and the Carolina Hurricanes are 0-17-3. Interesting that the Phoenix Coyotes are the only team not to have won this season when trailing even after one period (0-13-0).

2

The number of teams that have not lost in regulation time this season when leading after the first period. They are the New York Islanders (12-0-5 when leading after 20 minutes) and the Los Angeles Kings, who are 9-0-1 when they come out of the first with the lead. The Detroit Red Wings have 20 wins when leading after 20 minutes (20-2-1).

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

John Tavares brings hard lacrosse lessons to NHL

ROY MacGREGOR, Globe and Mail, Feb. 03, 2012

There is something oddly, distantly familiar with what he is doing.

John Tavares, the New York Islanders centre who was the NHL’s player of the month for January, is working the corners. He spins, he rolls off two checkers, he has his head raised like a cobra in search of opportunity. He works through traffic by keeping everything in so tight to his body they cannot stop him from slipping by. He sees an opening no one else has seen, passes quickly and, instantly, a goal is scored.

He is, of course, playing The National Game … but which one?

Tavares is only 21 years of age, and though ESPN recently ranked the “Top 25 NHL players under age of 25” and somehow left him off the list, he is today the talk of the league after scoring nine goals and 13 assists in only 13 games last month and rising into the top five in league scoring.

He is far, far from the fastest player in the game, and yet he is also unstoppable. He works corners as effectively as, but different from, the Sedin twins of the Vancouver Canucks. He has, as Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson noted Friday before the Senators and Islanders met in Ottawa, “incredible hands and vision.”

Where does it come from? Winter or summer? Hockey rink or lacrosse box?

Both, the young rising star says. He grew up playing both sports, both exceptionally well. His uncle, also John Tavares, is one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time, a stubborn, strong man who protects the ball as well as any who have ever played he game and is, simply, deadly from anywhere around the net.

The young John Tavares believes that lacrosse gave him talents that transferred perfectly to Canada’s better-known national game.

“People always talk about eye-hand co-ordination,” he says, “and I totally agree with that. The one thing that I have always told people made a huge difference was rolling off checks and moving through traffic and things like that. It’s really benefited me.”

“People don’t realize how strong he is,” says Islanders defenceman Steve Staios, who thinks Tavares’s skills have “been underestimated” by far more than just ESPN.

“I grew up always playing against guys a little bit older than me,” says Tavares, “so I had to dig in. And not always being the strongest guy try and use my smarts from my hockey and my lacrosse in being successful.”

His success has largely gone unnoticed, says Islanders coach Jack Capuano, as the struggling team itself has largely flown “under the radar.”

Going unnoticed is something that the youngster has never previously experienced. Once he decided to concentrate solely on hockey, he was a phenomenon, granted special status to play major junior hockey at 15. He was the most valuable player of the 2009 world junior championship held in Ottawa and the No. 1 pick overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft.

This sent him to the Islanders, long a troubled franchise in every area from the rink to the ice. There had been some thought that he would want out as soon as possible, but then last fall he surprised the hockey world by signing a six-year contract extension, now making $5.5-million (U.S.) a year – which is approximately 200 times what a good lacrosse professional could expect to make.

“I was drafted here,” he says. “They gave me a great opportunity to play as an 18-, 19-year-old. That’s a unique thing and not a lot of guys get a chance to do it. They put a lot of responsibility and belief in me and I see the culture and our attitude changing every day,

“There was no hesitation in not wanting to be an Islander. I want to be part of the future and part of turning this thing around.”

His remarkable third-year success – even if he fell short of the ESPN listing that has Jonathan Toews, Sidney Crosby, Nicklas Backstrom and Patrick Kane at the top and even includes the likes of Bryan Little and David Perron – is due in no small part to the fact that he has adapted skills picked up in another game.

It is not by accident that every single NHL team has a group of players – North American as well as European – who gather before each match to work on soccer skills before heading out on their skates.

Wayne Gretzky long ago credited lacrosse with giving him the idea of going behind the net and setting up his “office” from where he could send out such effective passes.

Gretzky also believes that there should be no such thing as “summer hockey” – that young athletes should play a variety of games both to teach new skills and, just as importantly, to prevent early burn-out.

And John Tavares, NHL player of the month, could be the poster boy for that argument.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

The real NHL trading game

ERIC DUHATSCHEK, Globe and Mail, Feb. 03, 2012

Put yourself in the shoes of an NHL general manager, 24 days from the trade deadline – and not his fantasy shoes by the way, where Sidney Crosby can be traded for Alex Ovechkin and six-for-six blockbusters are common. Try it in the real world, where the decision for so many teams comes down to this: When so few players are made available, how high do you bid for the handful of big names (Jeff Carter, James Van Riemsdyk) that might be pried loose? Or do you do the safe thing and add a couple of useful supplementary pieces who might come cheaply because their value is depressed, such as the deal the Minnesota Wild pulled off Friday morning, getting shootout specialist Erik Christensen from the New York Rangers in exchange for minor-leaguer Casey Wellman.

A lot of last year’s trade deadline deals fell into the latter category, small moves that yielded small rewards. Dennis Wideman was moved in the Florida Panthers’ fire sale, as were Radek Dvorak and Chris Higgins. Jason Arnott, Rusty Klesla, Scottie Upshall, Max Lapierre and Dustin Penner all found new homes. None made much of an impact, except for maybe Higgins, who produced a modest eight points in 25 playoff games for the Vancouver Canucks.

Many also came with the sort of wear-and-tear that obliges potential buyers to be very wary. For example, the Calgary Flames acquired a broken-down Freddie Modin from the Atlanta Thrashers and he simply wasn’t able to contribute (zero points in his only four appearances). Similarly, the Washington Capitals grabbed a broken-down Marco Sturm from the Los Angeles Kings who’d grabbed him from the Boston Bruins and he did little (scoring one goal in 18 games for the Caps, after notching four in 17 for the Kings).

Flames GM Jay Feaster knew Modin from winning the Stanley Cup with him in Tampa. Kings GM Dean Lombardi knew Sturm from drafting him in San Jose. Both were aware of what they were getting character wise. Character was not the issue, but it required the respective managers to take a leap of faith and guess if the mileage on the odometer would make them useful additions. They weren’t.

So here we are in 2012 and GMs will be asked to make the same tough calls with trade targets that include their share of warts. Ales Hemsky, frequently injured but highly skilled and a player that can still occasionally make something out of nothing, seems like he’s no longer a fit with the Oilers and their emphasis on youth. The Kings made a pitch for him last year, but the belief was that Edmonton wouldn’t deal him unless prospect Braydon Schenn was in the mix, so it didn’t go through. Hemsky’s value may be down because he hasn’t played as many as 72 games since the ‘09 season (22 in 2010 due to shoulder surgery; 47 last year, 37 and counting this year. At 6-foot, 184 pounds, he would probably be a good fit with Detroit, a team he sunk back in the 2006 playoffs. Management there has long memories; they will remember Hemsky when he was at his best (17 points in 24 playoff games during Edmonton’s trip to the final).

All the focus in Columbus will be on Carter, who is on an 11-year contract, with a per-year cap charge of $5.273-million – not bad if you see him as a front-line 40-goal scorer, a total he has managed just once in his first seven years. The thinking is Columbus wants to recoup its investment in Carter, which was two top-10 picks, Jacob Voracek, 7th overall in ’07 and Sean Couturier, 8th overall last year. Carter was activated from injured reserve Thursday and is scheduled to play for Columbus Friday night in Anaheim. Thus far, this year, he’s played 30 games (17 points) and missed 21.

Columbus also has a couple of less expensive pieces available. For anyone not prepared to meet Edmonton’s asking price for Hemsky, there’s Kristian Huselius to ponder. Huselius has been hurt all year and is a pending UFA, but played for Kings’ coach Darryl Sutter in Calgary and is a skilled, if meek, scorer. The advantage of taking a chance on Huselius is it’s low risk and potentially high reward if his groin issues ever clear up. In the four years between ’07 and ’10, Huselius had 77, 66, 56 and 63 points for Calgary, then Columbus, but he has managed to get into just two games so far this season. Sami Pahlsson and Vaclav Prospal are the Blue Jackets’ other unrestricted free agents up front.

Carolina is listening with interest to offers for hard-nosed Tuomo Ruutu, a potential UFA, who cost Carolina Andrew Ladd a few years back. Sutter likes his Finns and Ruutu is a more skilled version of Ville Niemenen who helped Calgary get to the 2004 final (and was really good, eliminating San Jose in the third round). Another possibility in Carolina would be Jussi Jokinen, a good shootout guy and terrific in the ’09 playoffs for Hurricanes (11 points, including 7 goals, in 18 games).

Tampa is moving up the standings again, but the feeling is the Lightning would move Ryan Malone, one of the few players remaining from the 2008 buying spree engineered by former owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules. Malone has had his share of injury issues this season; he’s a big-bodied forward, slowing down though, and the attraction will be his 16 point playoff performance for Pittsburgh in their Cup year. Malone has three years remaining on the seven-year, $31.5-million that carries an annual cap hit of $4.5-million but was front-loaded so the remaining years of the deal are fairly attractive in terms of cash paid out – $3-million, then two final years at $2.5-million. Malone’s no-movement clause ends after next year, at which point it becomes one of those limited no-trade clauses in which he can submit a list of 12 teams to which he would not accept a trade to.

THE FOLLY OF THE THREE-POINT GAME: In January, 48 out of 180 games went to overtime or a shootout, meaning 48 times, a single game produced three points in the standings – two for the winner, one for the loser – while the other 132 games produced the standard two. If the NHL is truly insistent that every game requires a winner and a loser, fine. But they can’t keep making some games more valuable than others. The rest of the world puts a greater value on regulation wins compared to shootout or overtime wins. They use the three-point system in the Olympics, at the world juniors, in Russia's KHL, in other Euro hockey leagues, even in the English Premiership. Hey if it's good enough for Chelsea and Man U, it should be good enough for the NHL.

But nobody in a position to do something about the system wants to change anything because it accomplishes two things for the league. First, it creates the illusion that about 24 teams are competitive because they are all at or above the new fake .500, which is the only way to describe a system that lumps regulation and overtime victories into a single category, but considers regulation and overtime losses two completely different animals. Secondly, it keeps the playoff races alive in most years right down to the wire. Even though the nonsense of having some games produce three points in the standings and others just two is completely irrational, the league will continue to do it because the alternative is what you have in major league baseball, with half the league out of playoff contention by the all-star break and two thirds done by the start of September. All those empty stadiums in the final month for major league baseball’s also-rans? That's commissioner Gary Bettman's worst nightmare, and the reason the point system isn’t going to change any time soon.

THE SAM GAGNER SHOW: Sam Gagner, whose eight points in a single game Thursday night tied an Edmonton Oilers’ franchise record shared by Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey, jumped 90 places in the NHL scoring standings with that outburst, moving from 200 to 110. Gagner had 22 points going into the game. Good tweet about it from teammate Ryan Whitney, who also produced his first goal of the season: “What a sick night. When he got his 8th point Darryl Sittler's heart rate must have just skyrocketed. 8 points now is like getting 14 in 80s” … Of course, the temptation immediately was to scroll down to the bottom of the NHL scoring stats to see who might have fewer than eight points all season. Yep, Scott Gomez, everybody’s favourite punching bag, seven assists in 20 games. Gagner’s father, Dave, who works for the Vancouver Canucks, once had six points in a game back in 1994 playing for the Dallas Stars. Wouldn’t it be weird if the rumours came true and the Chicago Blackhawks actually acquired Gagner between now and the trading deadline to add offensive depth? Gagner played his junior hockey in London with Patrick Kane, another small but skilled forward, who happens to be in one of the deepest scoring funks of his career (four goals in the past 33 games). Chicago and Vancouver seem destined to meet in every playoff year and that would create an interesting family dynamic between pere et fils … Gagner had his big night, playing mostly with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ regular linemates, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. Nugent-Hopkins, closing in on a return from a Jan. 2 shoulder injury suffered against the Blackhawks, has managed to hold onto the rookie scoring lead, despite a month on the sidelines. He had 35 points in 38 games; New Jersey’s Adam Henrique is next at 34, although coming hard is Vancouver’s Cody Hodgson, the rookie of the month for January, who cracked the 30 point barrier this week. It’s possible that Gagner’s big night will give the Oilers reason to pause and re-think their strategy relating to his long-term future with the team. He is, after all, just 22. If the line as currently formed can develop any kind of consistent chemistry, Nugent-Hopkins could then anchor a solid second line. Up front, more than anything, the Oilers need better scoring balance … The Red Wings will get an interesting test now, depending upon how long starting goaltender Jimmy Howard is out with a broken pinkie figure. Detroit thinks the injury isn’t serious and Howard could be back playing within a week or two. In the meantime, Ty Conklin will get a handful of starts and the time off probably won’t hurt Howard, 44 appearances this season. Only Nashville’s Pekka Rinne, at 46, has more … According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Predators have the NHL’s most challenging schedule coming out of the all-star break, given that their remaining opponents have collectively posted a .596 winning percentage. At the other end of the spectrum: The Florida Panthers, aiming to break that decades-long playoff drought, have the easiest at .532.

AND FINALLY: How to turn a public relations gaffe into a worthwhile fundraiser? When the Kings get back from their annual Grammy road trip, 75 fans and a guest will have the opportunity to have Pancakes with Penner on February 13, 2012 at the Westchester International House Of Pancakes from 8:00-10:00 a.m. According to the official press release, the lucky winners – who will pay anywhere from $10 to $75 to participate – will be provided with an all-you-can-eat breakfast featuring pancakes, bacon, eggs, coffee, and juice, along with assorted prizes. Space is limited only because of the size of the IHOP in question. Penner was the object of much ridicule on Twitter when he announced last month that he’d hurt his back, tucking into a stack of his wife’s “delicious pancakes.” Penner, incidentally, made the comment with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Humour doesn’t always transfer well to the blogosphere and the fact that Penner is stuck at three goals in 38 games doesn’t help his cause much either. The Kings are currently playing him on the second line with Mike Richards and Jarrett Stoll. If that isn’t an organizational cry for scoring help, it’s hard to know what is.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
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