April 18, 2006

Sens take top spot

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, of Sweden, makes a save as Rangers' Marek Malik. left, checks Ottawa Senators' Mike Fisher during first period NHL hockey Tuesday night, April 18, 2006 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
NEW YORK (AP) - What the Rangers wished for on opening night suddenly wasn't good enough when the regular season ended.

New York is going to the playoffs for the first time in nine years, but the Rangers dropped their fifth straight game Tuesday night - a 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators - and blew their last chance to secure their first division title since the Stanley Cup-winning season of 1993-94. Picked to finish last by many, New York set its sights on just making the post-season. The Rangers wrapped that up with seven games left and were in great position to win the Atlantic Division, too.

But their longest skid of the season, five straight losses, pushed them all the way down to the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

"It's hard," forward Michael Nylander said. "We had the division on the line for many games now and we didn't come through."

Instead of having home-ice advantage in the first round, the Rangers will instead play the New Jersey Devils, who rallied to capture the Atlantic by winning their final 11 games. That best-of-seven series will begin Saturday in New Jersey and continue Monday in the Meadowlands.
"It's always great to play your best hockey before the playoffs," Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr said. "They're hot, but it has to stop somewhere."

The Senators are limping into the playoffs, with their biggest injury being to goalie Dominik Hasek, who hasn't played since going down during the Olympics. Ottawa came into its season finale on a 1-4-2 skid, but still managed to secure the top seed in the East.

Dany Heatley scored his 50th goal in the third period, the Senators' third tally of the period.

Heatley, in his first season with the Senators, reached the 50-goal mark for the first time and extended his Ottawa single-season record. Andrej Meszaros and Mike Fisher also scored third-period goals to break open a tight game.

"We all knew coming into this building it would be a hard-fought game," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "It was a big boost for us going into the playoffs to win a big game like that."

Ottawa leapfrogged Carolina, which lost 4-0 at home to Buffalo, to grab first place. The Senators will play defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay in the opening round.

"This conference playoffs is going to be very tough," Alfredsson said.

The Rangers, who led the Atlantic for most of this season, were passed by Philadelphia and New Jersey on the final day. The Flyers beat the New York Islanders 4-1 and New Jersey won 4-3 at Montreal to take the division title.

Ottawa got goals from Patrick Eaves and Alfredsson in the second period to take a 2-1 lead. Meszaros scored his 10th goal just 1:12 into the third with the teams skating 4-on-4. Fisher gave the Senators a three-goal advantage with a short-handed goal scored on the Rangers' first power play.

Heatley finished it off with a power-play goal with 6:12 remaining.

Henrik Lundqvist, playing for the first time in eight games because of a hip injury, kept the Rangers in it until the third period. His best stop came in the second period when he was knocked over by his Swedish countryman Alfredsson on a breakaway, but kept the puck out of the net.

"I felt good for two periods and then I got tired in the third," Lundqvist said.

But his 27 saves weren't nearly enough to outduel fellow rookie Ray Emery, who was stellar in stopping 27 shots and winning his 23rd game while filling in for Hasek.

Martin Straka scored New York's only goal, cutting the Rangers' deficit to 2-1 just 16 seconds after Alfredsson scored.

The Rangers were sloppy in the second period and it cost them. After getting away with a number of giveaways, Fedor Tyutin's defensive zone turnover led to Ottawa's first goal.

New York won a faceoff near its net, and Tyutin was blocked at the right point as he tried to clear. He lost the puck to Eaves, who passed to Alfredsson in the slot. Just as quickly, the puck was returned to Eaves for his 20th goal of the season.

Another Rangers turnover forced Blair Betts to take a tripping penalty. Lundqvist made a fine pad stop on Wade Redden's drive from the left point, but he couldn't keep the rebound away from Alfredsson, who scored his 43rd goal.

"We gave the other team a lot of odd-man rushes," Jagr said. "Maybe we are tired and we're making mistakes, but this is not the way you want to go into the playoffs."

He seemed eager to carry the Rangers, as he'd done all season. He made passes, charged the net from the front and the back, and tried on several occasions to jam the puck past Emery. But he finished with just one assist, leaving him second in the NHL's points and goals race.

After leading both categories for much of the campaign, Jagr - who had club records of 55 goals and 123 points - lost to San Jose's pair of Jonathan Cheechoo (56 goals) and Joe Thornton (125 points).

Notes: Ottawa scored first for the 46th time in 82 games and went 40-3-3 in those contests. The Senators were 12-18-6 in games they trailed 1-0. . . . New York defenceman Darius Kasparaitis played after missing 12 of the previous 13 with a groin injury.

Posted by admin at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)

February 22, 2006

Disappointed Gretzky says team must step up!

TURIN — If it works once, work it again. But will it work again?

Wayne Gretzky went back to the well yesterday, serving himself up to the Canadian media to take the focus off his hockey team like he did when Team Canada was in trouble early at Salt Lake 2002.

Gretzky watched practice from the bench with his son and then, with an assist from assistant coach Ken Hitchcock, went to work trying to talk Team Canada’s way out of its Olympic crisis.

Only four of Canada’s players were sent out to deal with double defeats, back-to-back 2-0 shutouts to Switzerland and Finland.

But unlike when he did it four years ago in Salt Lake City, where Gretzky forced the focus elsewhere to take the pressure off his players, he may have managed to do the opposite this time, effectively adding more pressure, particularly on his young players whom he identified as being the problem.

The Team Canada executive director, who picked the players, told the young ones to pick it up, then aimed his comments at the entire team. He said this should be one of the greatest experiences they’ll ever have, not an excruciating, horrifying, panic-attack-producing nightmare.

“This should be the greatest week of their lives,” Gretzky said. “Just enjoy this. When you’re not enjoying the game and having fun, it’s hard to make a five-foot pass.

“We need to raise the intensity level, raise the energy level and raise the enjoyment level. We need to get our guys re-energized and refocused.’’

Gretzky said Canada has to carry more pressure from home than any other country, and more this year than four years ago when our nation won its first Olympic gold in 50 years.

“I thought in 2002 the Olympics were huge, but this year it even seems to be more enormous,’’ he said.

The pressure is turning his team into 23 Jeremy Wotherspoons. “You can feel it in the locker-room and see it in their eyes. We need to loosen the hockey club and have some fun out there.’’

Gretzky admitted this is not the way you want this to work. The plan is to get better every game. That clearly has not been the case for Canada in this tournament as they head into today’s final round-robin game against the Czech Republic and into the quarter-final sudden-death crossover game, which follows the next day.

“The success of the Canadian teams has always been to start slow and get stronger,’’ Gretzky said.

“We got thrown for a bit of a curve,’’ he said of playing well enough for openers against Italy and Germany before losing one of those run-into-a-hot-goalie games against Switzerland.

“What became alarming was not the outcome of the game against Finland but the whole (aspect) of the game. Our emotional level was not at the level of the Finnish hockey club. They were better than us in the first period. They just dominated us. That’s what becomes alarming. We weren’t ready to play that hockey game at the start of it.’’

Gretzky said “I’m shocked,’’ then downgraded it to “disappointed’’ when his team “didn’t play with more urgency’’ in the game against Finland.

“We just have the sense that our team is too tight. The Finns looked just like they were enjoying the game and playing hard. That’s what we have to do.’’

Hitchcock said it’s a case of “a lot of young new players to the Olympics learning an on-the-job lesson. It’s a whole new level of intensity and tenacity they’ve never experienced before.’’

The key as they head to the crossover quarter-final, which could send them home early and, considering they’re Canada, in disgrace, is to prevent pure panic at this point.

“I think there’s a sense of desperation, a sense of realization that a lot of our players have never seen these players play like this in North America. When they play for their own country with their flag on their sweater, in the Olympics, we’re learning the lesson that they take it to a whole other level.’’

Hitchcock said there is panic.

“It’s in trying to catch up to the emotional level. We learned those lessons early in 2002. Our wake-up call came against Sweden in the first game. Here we caught our lesson a little bit late.’’

But did they catch it? Will there be a ‘Gretzky Effect’ from this day like there was in Salt Lake? Or is this a home-of-hockey horror story to be continued?

Posted by admin at 03:04 PM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2005

Team Canada goes with experience over youth

There are 32 million people living in Canada and almost as many home-made Canadian Olympic hockey lists. But as of late Wednesday there is only one list that counts and that's the one executive director Wayne Gretzky and the rest of the Canadian hockey brain trust came up with, a list that included forward Todd Bertuzzi and injury-plagued Rick Nash, but did not include super-youngsters Jason Spezza, Eric Staal or Sidney Crosby.

In spite of grieving the death of his mother Phyllis, Gretzky participated in the final 50-minute conference call Wednesday morning that resulted in a veteran lineup featuring 20 players who were part of Canada's 2002 gold medal effort and/or their win at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. That kind of experience was more important to Gretzky, et al. than the fact that a number of those selected are suffering through sub-standard NHL campaigns.

"We're trying to build a team and we're not just building a team on statistics," explained Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe, Canada's assistant executive direction. A player's track record extends far beyond October 5th this season, sometimes years in the past, Lowe said.

"You win championships by having speed, skill, chemistry and experience and we feel we have all that to win a championship," Lowe added ...

The debate won't end with Wednesday's announcement. In fact, if anything it will increase as time slips away between now and the start of the Olympic tournament Feb. 15 and will not subside until this team either fulfills a nation's expectations and defends its gold medal in Turin on Feb. 26 or fails in that pursuit.

Here's a look at the squad.

Surprises?
Goal: With Martin Brodeur a given as the team's starter and Roberto Luongo getting a free pass onto the team based on his international play with Canada, you had to figure Marty Turco and Curtis Joseph were neck-and-neck going for the third spot on the roster.

In the end Turco has put a dreadful start to the season behind him to take over the NHL lead in wins with 18 and simply couldn't be dislodged.

"With Curtis it simply was we had to pick three and it ended up that we thought as a group that Turco was a guy we really said, how do we pull him out of there in spite of what Curtis has done," head coach Pat Quinn said.

It's a safe bet Turco will not see action, however, as Luongo reinforces the notion that Hockey Canada folks have long memories. It was Luongo who came on in relief of Sean Burke at the World Championships in 2003 to lead Canada to a championship. Then, after being named top goalie at the 2004 World Championships, Luongo came on in relief of Brodeur in the semifinals of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and stoned a dynamic Czech team to lead Canada to an overtime win. Officials hope he can provide that kind of relief in Turin.

Defense: The only surprise along the blue line was that officials waited until long after the first six defensemen were named to announce that Vancouver Canuck Ed Jovanovski had made the team. (The announcement was made in Vancouver and one assumes holding off on announcing Jovanovski and Bertuzzi until the end made for greater drama although it probably didn't help the players' disposition much.)

Critics will point to the wretched year Rob Blake is having in Colorado (he is a puzzling minus-14 and has just 22 points), but the former Norris Trophy winner is just that, a winner, so he belongs.

The same can be said of Adam Foote who is struggling through his first season with the woeful Columbus Blue Jackets. His presence on the Canadian team is even more important given the absence of Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux.

Some members of the blue line were part of Canada's sweep of the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and five of the seven were in Salt Lake City for Canada's seminal gold medal win in 2002. The group is laced with a daunting blend of size, speed, skill and straight out nastiness.

"It might be among the best defenses Canada has taken into any international tournament," Quinn said. "It just has the assets in all kinds of areas. We just hope the coaches don't mess it up."

If there was a mild defensive-related surprise it came with the inclusion of Toronto defenseman Bryan McCabe to the three-man taxi squad that will go to Turin and be available if there are injuries to players on the 23-man roster.

McCabe, who leads all NHL defensemen with 40 points, edged out smooth-skating Dan Boyle of Tampa Bay and sensational Calgary rookie Dion Phaneuf.

Forwards: What does it say about your national depth when the fourth- and sixth-leading scorers in the NHL (Eric Staal and Jason Spezza) aren't named to the 23-man roster and instead are relegated to the taxi squad? It says you've got a lot of toys in the toy box.

If Canada fails to win gold, critics will look back on the omission of the three young guns -- Spezza, Staal and Crosby -- from the 23-man roster as a possible oversight. But there is no doubt when looking at the Canadian forwards that Gretzky put a premium on players who have played and enjoyed success at the highest levels of competition, even if those players aren't necessarily enjoying stellar NHL campaigns.

Shane Doan, captain of Gretzky's Phoenix Coyotes, Ryan Smyth, the man they call Captain Canada, and long-time Detroit Red Wings Grind Line member Kris Draper will all be bringing their gritty games to Turin when many observers felt there would only be room for two of the three. This in spite of the fact Draper has but one goal and Doan has six. Doesn't matter. Doan scored the winning goal in the World Cup of Hockey and all three forwards have been long-time Hockey Canada guys. Case closed.

Not that offense should be an issue for a Canadian squad that boasts Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Joe Sakic, Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier, all of whom rank in the top 23 in NHL scoring.

Some will view Rick Nash's selection as a surprise given that injuries have allowed the big winger to play in only five games this season. But Nash's play at the World Championships last spring has Hockey Canada officials believing he is among the best players in the world. The fact he has two months to get back into the shape that saw him tie for the NHL goal-scoring title in 2003-04 made his inclusion a no-brainer.

Spezza's exclusion from the 23-man roster remains the most perplexing, especially given the tremendous chemistry he and team member Heatley have enjoyed in leading the Ottawa Senators to the top of the NHL standings. Between the two they have 94 points but age (he's just 22) and lack of international experience pushed him back onto the taxi squad.

Who Got Left In The Cold?
Lowe joked after the team was announced that Canada could field two Olympic teams and they'd both be favorites to win the gold and he's not far off. Marc Savard, Patrick Marleau, Brendan Shanahan and Alex Tanguay are all in the top 21 in NHL scoring and weren't named to the team. Marleau and Tanguay were both at the Canadian orientation camp this summer but were longshots at best to be asked to Turin.

The same can be said for defensemen Chris Phillips and Eric Brewer while Jay Bouwmeester has taken a step back in his development after being so good at the World Cup of Hockey.

Two-time Olympian Paul Kariya, a shootout specialist enjoying a renaissance in Nashville, simply didn't have the numbers to dislodge any of the incumbents. Jose Theodore, a former Hart Trophy winner, played himself out of contention for a job and simply didn't have the international cachet to match that of Luongo.

Sentimental Choice?
If there is one on this team it's Smyth. His 25 points in 28 games in Edmonton are certainly acceptable enough but the bottom line is the rugged forward epitomizes Canadian hockey. A seven-time member of Canada's World Championship effort, an Olympian in 2002 and member of the World Cup of Hockey squad, Smyth is to Canadian hockey what syrup is to pancakes.

Controversial Choice?
Joe Sakic. OK, just kidding. No question the addition of Bertuzzi to the 23-man roster is the single-most intriguing element of this Canadian team. Although he has very little recent international experience (he played on the 1998 and 2000 World Championship teams), Bertuzzi was essentially guaranteed a spot on the roster back in August when his suspension for the attack on Steve Moore was lifted by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Although he got off to a slow start Bertuzzi's play the last month made the decision to keep him on the roster that much easier.

"In the past three weeks to a month Todd has demonstrated that he's an elite player and I'm sure will be impressive on the big ice in Torino," said Steve Tambellini, assistant general manager of Bertuzzi's Vancouver Canucks and the director of player personnel for the Canadian Olympic team.

Team Strength
For a team that really does have it all from skill to size to speed, perhaps Canada's greatest attribute will be its cohesion. NHL teams play Sunday Feb. 12 while the Turin tournament begins Feb. 15. The fact almost every player has a strong connection to the systems employed by Quinn and assistants Wayne Fleming, Jacques Martin and Ken Hitchcock through the Salt Lake City Olympics or the World Cup of Hockey not to mention the orientation camp in August means this team should hit the ground running. In Salt Lake City, the Canadians took most of the preliminary round to get into sync, that shouldn't be the case in Turin where the competition figures to be even keener for the defending champions.

"The biggest thing I think we have instant chemistry with this team," Fleming said. A little chemistry can carry you a long way in this kind of tournament.

Team Weaknesses
It seems almost sacrilege to say this, but goaltending may be the biggest question mark for the Canadians heading into the Turin tournament. And when Marty Brodeur ranks as a question mark you realize that weakness is a relative term. Still, Brodeur has not enjoyed a stellar start to the season and has been hampered by a knee injury. His play of late has improved but he does not look like the Brodeur of old. Likewise, Luongo has been at times downright tepid for a Florida Panthers team that gives up a ton of shots not to mention quality scoring chances. Both Brodeur and Luongo will benefit, naturally, from the Canadian defense, but there remains a strange element of doubt surrounding what has traditionally been a strength in international competition.

Player That Might Make A Difference?
Wade Redden was the last cut of the 2002 Olympic team. And while he doesn't have the profile of other Canadian blue liners, Redden is having a Norris Trophy-worthy season in Ottawa. Although he missed 10 games with injury Redden has 24 points in 21 games and is a plus-19 tops among Canadian defenders.

Player That Might Not?
Before his injury, Philadelphia forward Simon Gagne was on a Gretzky-like goal-scoring pace with 23 goals in 27 games. But having suffered a tear in his right groin that forced him to miss the last two weeks, his return bears close watching. If he's healthy, Gagne is Canada's most important forward. If he's not at 100 percent it will put even more pressure on Thornton and Nash to produce.

Posted by admin at 03:24 PM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2005

Bertuzzi on, Crosby off Canadian Olympic team

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Todd Bertuzzi is an Olympian. Sidney Crosby is not.

Canada announced its Olympic team for the Turin Games on Wednesday and Crosby, a Pittsburgh Penguins rookie widely touted as the future face of the NHL, wasn’t on the list.

Bertuzzi, the Vancouver Canucks forward known infamously for the blindside attack that left Colorado’s Steve Moore with broken bones in his neck in March 2004, made the cut.
“We’re proud to have him,” Team Canada’s assistant executive director Kevin Lowe said of Bertuzzi. “As human beings and in life and in this country, I think a big part of being Canadian is being able to forgive.”

Bertuzzi, reinstated by the NHL in August after a serving a 17-month suspension, pleaded guilty in a Vancouver court to criminal assault on Dec. 22, 2004, and was given one year of probation, which ends this week.

“For them having the faith in me is pretty rewarding,” said Bertuzzi, sporting red-dyed hair. “Knowing they believe in me and that the so-called baggage that I carry wasn’t going to interfere with this team.”
Bertuzzi missed the final 13 regular-season games of the 2003-04 season and Stanley Cup playoffs, and his banishment continued throughout last season’s NHL lockout. He was also barred from the World Cup of Hockey in September 2004 and two world championships.

He struggled early this season, scoring two goals in his first 15 games. But recently has displayed the dominating form that he used to score 46 goals and 97 points in 2002-03.

“In 2003-04, no question Todd Bertuzzi was one of the top three or four forwards in all of Canada, if not the world, and that’s the type of player we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks,” Lowe said.

The team is mostly made up of players who represented Canada during wins at the 2002 Olympics, ’03 and ’04 world championships and last year’s World Cup.

Columbus forward Rick Nash made the team despite missing all but five games this season with a high ankle sprain and a knee injury. He was Canada’s best player at this year’s world championship and had two goals in his first two games back last week.

Crosby, the first pick in this year’s draft, ranks second among rookies and 29th overall with 14 goals and 19 assists. But the 18-year-old center was left out.

“This roster is built around not only skill and speed and courage, but also the experience,” said Steve Tambellini, director of player personnel.

Crosby was attending a players-only Christmas party Wednesday night and wasn’t immediately available for comment, but his agent, Pat Brisson, said he would have easily fit onto one of Canada’s top two lines.

“He’s such a competitor, but at the same time he understands Canada has a big talent pool of great players,” Brisson said.

Asked how upset Crosby was, Brisson said, “He wouldn’t be normal if he wasn’t disappointed. He’s a proud competitor.”

New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur, one of Canada’s returning gold medalists, said Crosby was just a victim of a rich talent pool.

“He’s a young guy,” Brodeur said. “When you have the privilege of playing for the greatest hockey country, there are only so many players. It’s not that he’s not worth being there, it’s just because he’s in a situation that Team Canada has a new wave of young players.”

Lowe read a statement by Wayne Gretzky, Team Canada’s executive director, thanking fans for their best wishes after the death of his mother, Phyllis, on Monday.

“This is a great day for Canadian hockey and congratulations to everyone. I know my mom was looking forward to this day as every Canadian is,” Gretzky said.

Nicholson confirmed he had discussions with the Canadian Olympic Committee over concerns about naming Bertuzzi, and forward Dany Heatley, who pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide and was sentenced to three years’ probation and community service for the car crash that killed then-Atlanta teammate Dan Snyder in 2003.

“I think it’s a non-issue,” Nicholson said. “They will look at the list in the next few days and I don’t expect anything coming back.”

Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic was named captain.

Defensemen who are returning to defend Canada’s gold medal include Colorado’s Rob Blake; Columbus’ Adam Foote; Vancouver’s Ed Jovanovski; Anaheim’s Scott Niedermayer and Edmonton’s Chris Pronger. Forwards headed back are Philadelphia’s Simon Gagne; Calgary’s Jarome Iginla; Sakic and Edmonton’s Ryan Smyth.

Rounding out the roster were goaltenders Roberto Luongo (Panthers) and Marty Turco (Stars); defensemen Wade Redden (Senators) and Robyn Regehr (Flames); and forwards Bertuzzi, Shane Doan (Coyotes), Kris Draper (Red Wings), Heatley, (Senators), Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis, Nash, and Joe Thornton (Sharks).

The reserves are Eric Staal (Hurricanes), Jason Spezza (Senators) and Bryan McCabe (Maple Leafs).

Key members of the gold-medal team not returning are Penguins owner-captain Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Paul Kariya, Eric Lindros, and goaltenders Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour.

Posted by admin at 02:53 PM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2005

Lemieux: Don't expect Penguins in Pittsburgh after '07

The bad news keeps coming. Out the last two games with an irregular heartbeat, owner-captain Mario Lemieux doubts his team can remain in Pittsburgh after 2007. Oh yeah, up next -- West-leading Detroit.

PITTSBURGH -- Penguins owner-captain Mario Lemieux said he doubted the NHL team will remain in Pittsburgh after its Mellon Arena lease expires in 2007, citing a lack of progress on a new arena.

The Penguins are projecting a $7 million loss this season, a figure that assumes the team will draw near-capacity crowds and advance to the second round of the playoffs.

"I think we're really running out of time," Lemieux said on Saturday. "We probably ran out of time already. It's been unfortunate that the city and the county haven't been willing to work with us over the last two or three years."

Lemieux has said for several years that the Penguins would not be able to survive in Pittsburgh without a new arena. Mellon Arena is the oldest and smallest arena in the National Hockey League.

The lease allows the team to solicit offers for the franchise beginning in June 2006. Kansas City is among the cities that have expressed interest in the team.

Posted by admin at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)

November 27, 2005

Morrison continues stellar play as Oilers beat Flames 2-1 in a shootout

CALGARY (CP) - Fernando Pisani scored the deciding goal in a shootout Friday night and Mike Morrison continued his red-hot goaltending with 27 saves as the Edmonton Oilers won 2-1 over the Calgary Flames.

After each team's first three shooters failed to score, Pisani stepped up and beat goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff through the legs on a deke. Calgary's Chuck Kobasew was the final Flames shooter but he was turned aside by Morrison, giving the Oilers their fifth win in their last six games (5-1-0).

Radek Dvorak scored for Edmonton (14-10-1), which with the extra point, moves within two points of Calgary in the Northwest Division.

Marcus Nilson replied for Calgary (14-8-3). The Flames lost for only the second time in their last 12 (10-1-1).

Both teams had great chances to score in a back-forth overtime but both goalies continued the same excellent play each displayed through the first 60 minutes.

Edmonton had a great chance to win it late in the game when Ethan Moreau burst past the Flames defence forcing Calgary defenceman Roman Hamrlik to take a hooking penalty with 12 seconds left in the third period.

However, despite applying steady pressure through the subsequent 4-on-3 man advantage, the Oilers could not get the puck past Kiprusoff.

At the other end, Mike Morrison stymied the Flames for over 51 minutes before Nilson scored at 11:34 to tie the game 1-1. Steven Reinprecht slid a pass through the slot that slipped between the skates of Oilers defenceman Steve Staios and was jammed in the open side by Nilson.

Until that point, Morrison had been the story of the game continuing his sensational run he's been on the past two weeks.

Making his third start in a row, the red-hot Morrison improved his record to a perfect 4-0-0.

Morrison's run took a while to get started. After being recalled from the Greenville Grrrowl back on Oct. 24th when Ty Conklin was sent to Hamilton (AHL) on a conditioning stint, Morrison sat on the bench and backed up Jussi Markkanen for the first 10 games in an Oilers sweater.

However, after winning his first NHL start in Colorado 5-2 against the Avalanche Nov. 14th, Morrison has started four of Edmonton's last six games and in that span has a 1.48 goals against average and an impressive .939 save percentage.

Meanwhile, Conklin has been on the sidelines since returning from his conditioning stint, having missed the last eight games with a groin injury.

Edmonton took the lead at 14:42 of the first period.

Jarret Stoll spotted Dvorak open on the far side of the net and zipped a pass across that Dvorak one-timed in the open side past Kiprusoff.

Kiprusoff would not be beaten the rest of the way until the shootout. He made several great saves, including a diving stop with the paddle of his stick denying Stoll of what looked to be a sure goal in the final seconds of the first period.

Kiprusoff also started the second period with a similar stop only this time sliding across to jab out a pad and thwart Marty Reasoner at the side of the net.

Notes: Edmonton D Chris Pronger (bruised knee) missed his first game of the season... The Oilers improved to 11-2 when scoring the first goal of the game... The Pengrowth Saddledome crowd of 19,289 was Calgary's 24th consecutive regular season sell-out, a streak which includes the final 10 home games of the 2003-04 season... Slumping Edmonton C Mike Peca played on the fourth line between LW Todd Harvey and RW Georges Laraque. Harvey had been a healthy scratch four of the previous five games and Laraque has gone 32 games since scoring dating back to Mar. 16, 2004... Calgary LW Tony Amonte is two goals away from 400 for his NHL career.

Posted by admin at 02:44 PM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2005

The Canadian dream : from Elisha Cuthbert

The Canadian dream

For most Canadian kids you've got one option, if you're a girl you figure skate and if you're a boy in Canada you play hockey. At least in my house you did, as well as all the other families growing up around me. You do it as far as you can take it. To the best of your ability and in the middle of the night you dream of that perfect triple axel in the Olympic arena. Or becoming the next Great One!!

I gave up on that dream when I was 9 just because I had other plans in mind. My ideas of figure skating were a little different, they also included a film crew and craft services. Aside from that though, everywhere you turn, someone's on the ice.

The Canadian dream

For most Canadian kids you've got one option, if you're a girl you figure skate and if you're a boy in Canada you play hockey. At least in my house you did, as well as all the other families growing up around me. You do it as far as you can take it. To the best of your ability and in the middle of the night you dream of that perfect triple axel in the Olympic arena. Or becoming the next Great One!!

I gave up on that dream when I was 9 just because I had other plans in mind. My ideas of figure skating were a little different, they also included a film crew and craft services. Aside from that though, everywhere you turn, someone's on the ice.

I think about my life growing up and the path that I took, and I'm constantly amazed at how little I was, when I knew what I wanted to do in life. I wonder if that happened for most pro players out there. I asked a friend not to long ago how and when he thought he knew he was going to play pro? His answer, "always."

It's funny how life works, and that all those young Canadian boys out there are playing, hoping and dreaming that maybe one day they'll be playing in the NHL. Along with all those girls and their figure skates. Sometimes you have to imagine it's more than that, and whether you make it that far or not, it was worth the time and energy you put into it.

Why does my mother play? She's in her mid 40's (don't worry mom, I won't tell everyone how old exactly). But her answer, "Keeps me busy, keeps me healthy and I just have fun." If I were to sit down right now and break down all the reasons why I do what I do, sure there would be a lot of them, but the one that makes it all worthwhile: FUN. It's just a hell of a lot of fun.

Maybe in my next life I'll come back as a hockey player. LOL.

Or maybe not!!!

Maybe my 14-year-old brother will go pro one day and I'll get free season tickets!! You never know. Maybe the L.A. Kings will make it to the playoffs. We'll see!! And just so everyone knows, I am following the Kings this year!

I live in L.A., but I love hockey as a sport! I follow players. The Habs are where my family is and I think Calgary is pretty strong -- hey, I was born there! I've got a friend who plays for Vancouver, and one who plays for the Blue Jackets and another in Phoenix. So I guess you could say I'm all over the place. I'm going to stick to L.A. though. Just to go back to all that other stuff, though, whether Canadians like it or not, we're making some damn-good hockey players. Not to mention actors too!!! What can I say, "It's the Canadian dream."

Posted by Elisha @ 11:43 a.m.

Posted by admin at 03:31 PM | Comments (0)

November 09, 2005

NHL NOVEMBER SCHEDULE

Nov 8, 2005 Bruins Flyers 7:00 PM EST OLN,TSN
Nov 8, 2005 Capitals Maple Leafs 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 8, 2005 Lightning Canadiens 7:30 PM EST RDS
Nov 8, 2005 Islanders Devils 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 8, 2005 Oilers Predators 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 8, 2005 Coyotes Wild 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 8, 2005 Sharks Avalanche 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Hurricanes Sabres 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Penguins Thrashers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Rangers Panthers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Blues Blue Jackets 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Kings Red Wings 7:30 PM EST TSN
Nov 10, 2005 Senators Bruins 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Islanders Flyers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Canadiens Penguins 7:30 PM EST TSN,RDS
Nov 10, 2005 Rangers Lightning 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Blackhawks Blues 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Stars Predators 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Flames Coyotes 9:00 PM EST HDNet
Nov 10, 2005 Avalanche Canucks 10:00 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Devils Capitals 1:00 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Lightning Thrashers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Oilers Blue Jackets 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Hurricanes Panthers 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Wild Red Wings 7:30 PM EST -

Nov 8, 2005 Bruins Flyers 7:00 PM EST OLN,TSN
Nov 8, 2005 Capitals Maple Leafs 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 8, 2005 Lightning Canadiens 7:30 PM EST RDS
Nov 8, 2005 Islanders Devils 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 8, 2005 Oilers Predators 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 8, 2005 Coyotes Wild 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 8, 2005 Sharks Avalanche 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Hurricanes Sabres 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Penguins Thrashers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Rangers Panthers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Blues Blue Jackets 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 9, 2005 Kings Red Wings 7:30 PM EST TSN
Nov 10, 2005 Senators Bruins 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Islanders Flyers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Canadiens Penguins 7:30 PM EST TSN,RDS
Nov 10, 2005 Rangers Lightning 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Blackhawks Blues 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Stars Predators 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 10, 2005 Flames Coyotes 9:00 PM EST HDNet
Nov 10, 2005 Avalanche Canucks 10:00 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Devils Capitals 1:00 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Lightning Thrashers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Oilers Blue Jackets 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Hurricanes Panthers 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Wild Red Wings 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 11, 2005 Maple Leafs Sabres 8:00 PM EST TSN
Nov 11, 2005 Kings Blackhawks 8:30 PM EST -
Nov 12, 2005 Capitals Devils 1:00 PM EST HDNet
Nov 12, 2005 Maple Leafs Canadiens 7:00 PM EST CBC,RDS
Nov 12, 2005 Sabres Senators 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 12, 2005 Bruins Islanders 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 12, 2005 Panthers Flyers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 12, 2005 Thrashers Hurricanes 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 12, 2005 Rangers Penguins 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 12, 2005 Blues Predators 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 12, 2005 Mighty Ducks Coyotes 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 12, 2005 Avalanche Flames 10:00 PM EST CBC
Nov 12, 2005 Stars Sharks 10:30 PM EST -
Nov 13, 2005 Kings Blue Jackets 5:00 PM EST -
Nov 13, 2005 Oilers Blackhawks 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 13, 2005 Stars Mighty Ducks 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 13, 2005 Red Wings Canucks 10:00 PM EST -
Nov 14, 2005 Islanders Penguins 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 14, 2005 Flyers Lightning 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 14, 2005 Oilers Avalanche 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 14, 2005 Wild Flames 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 15, 2005 Devils Sabres 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 15, 2005 Lightning Capitals 7:00 PM EST OLN
Nov 15, 2005 Rangers Maple Leafs 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 15, 2005 Panthers Canadiens 7:30 PM EST RDS
Nov 15, 2005 Hurricanes Senators 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 15, 2005 Kings Predators 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 16, 2005 Penguins Flyers 7:00 PM EST OLN
Nov 16, 2005 Islanders Thrashers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 16, 2005 Blues Blue Jackets 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 16, 2005 Red Wings Flames 8:30 PM EST TSN
Nov 16, 2005 Avalanche Coyotes 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 16, 2005 Stars Mighty Ducks 10:30 PM EST -
Nov 16, 2005 Canucks Sharks 10:30 PM EST -
Nov 17, 2005 Maple Leafs Bruins 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 17, 2005 Capitals Sabres 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 17, 2005 Rangers Hurricanes 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 17, 2005 Panthers Senators 7:30 PM EST RDS
Nov 17, 2005 Islanders Lightning 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 17, 2005 Red Wings Oilers 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 17, 2005 Canucks Kings 10:30 PM EST HDNet
Nov 18, 2005 Thrashers Flyers 7:00 PM EST TSN
Nov 18, 2005 Canadiens Devils 7:30 PM EST RDS
Nov 18, 2005 Blue Jackets Stars 8:30 PM EST -
Nov 18, 2005 Blackhawks Flames 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 18, 2005 Avalanche Mighty Ducks 10:30 PM EST -
Nov 19, 2005 Hurricanes Rangers 1:00 PM EST -
Nov 19, 2005 Sabres Bruins 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 19, 2005 Thrashers Maple Leafs 7:00 PM EST CBC
Nov 19, 2005 Capitals Canadiens 7:00 PM EST RDS
Nov 19, 2005 Devils Senators 7:00 PM EST CBC
Nov 19, 2005 Flyers Penguins 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 19, 2005 Islanders Panthers 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 19, 2005 Blues Red Wings 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 19, 2005 Predators Wild 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 19, 2005 Blackhawks Oilers 10:00 PM EST CBC
Nov 19, 2005 Avalanche Kings 10:30 PM EST HDNet
Nov 19, 2005 Coyotes Sharks 10:30 PM EST -
Nov 20, 2005 Canucks Mighty Ducks 4:00 PM EST -
Nov 20, 2005 Lightning Hurricanes 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 20, 2005 Bruins Rangers 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 20, 2005 Blue Jackets Coyotes 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 21, 2005 Predators Red Wings 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 21, 2005 Flames Avalanche 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 21, 2005 Sharks Oilers 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 22, 2005 Rangers Sabres 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 22, 2005 Lightning Flyers 7:00 PM EST OLN
Nov 22, 2005 Senators Hurricanes 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 22, 2005 Thrashers Canadiens 7:30 PM EST RDS
Nov 22, 2005 Capitals Penguins 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 22, 2005 Kings Blues 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 22, 2005 Mighty Ducks Coyotes 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 22, 2005 Blackhawks Canucks 10:00 PM EST -
Nov 23, 2005 Sabres Islanders 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 23, 2005 Lightning Capitals 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 23, 2005 Devils Panthers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 23, 2005 Predators Blue Jackets 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 23, 2005 Bruins Maple Leafs 7:30 PM EST TSN
Nov 23, 2005 Avalanche Red Wings 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 23, 2005 Oilers Wild 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 23, 2005 Mighty Ducks Stars 8:30 PM EST -
Nov 23, 2005 Sharks Flames 10:00 PM EST -
Nov 24, 2005 Rangers Thrashers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 24, 2005 Kings Predators 8:00 PM EST HDNet
Nov 24, 2005 Sharks Canucks 10:00 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Flyers Bruins 12:00 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Senators Islanders 2:00 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Blues Wild 2:00 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Red Wings Mighty Ducks 4:00 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Maple Leafs Hurricanes 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Avalanche Blue Jackets 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Devils Lightning 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Penguins Panthers 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Canadiens Sabres 8:00 PM EST RDS
Nov 25, 2005 Coyotes Stars 8:30 PM EST -
Nov 25, 2005 Oilers Flames 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 26, 2005 Islanders Flyers 2:00 PM EST -
Nov 26, 2005 Canadiens Maple Leafs 7:00 PM EST CBC,RDS
Nov 26, 2005 Bruins Senators 7:00 PM EST CBC
Nov 26, 2005 Panthers Thrashers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 26, 2005 Capitals Rangers 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 26, 2005 Blue Jackets Blues 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 26, 2005 Stars Predators 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 26, 2005 Canucks Coyotes 10:00 PM EST CBC,HDNet
Nov 26, 2005 Blackhawks Kings 10:30 PM EST -
Nov 26, 2005 Red Wings Sharks 10:30 PM EST -
Nov 27, 2005 Sabres Capitals 4:00 PM EST -
Nov 27, 2005 Thrashers Hurricanes 5:00 PM EST -
Nov 27, 2005 Penguins Lightning 5:00 PM EST -
Nov 27, 2005 Blackhawks Mighty Ducks 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 27, 2005 Canucks Avalanche 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 28, 2005 Maple Leafs Panthers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 28, 2005 Red Wings Kings 10:30 PM EST -
Nov 29, 2005 Flyers Islanders 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 29, 2005 Hurricanes Thrashers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 29, 2005 Canadiens Senators 7:30 PM EST RDS
Nov 29, 2005 Bruins Devils 7:30 PM EST OLN,TSN
Nov 29, 2005 Sabres Penguins 7:30 PM EST -
Nov 29, 2005 Flames Predators 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 29, 2005 Avalanche Oilers 9:00 PM EST -
Nov 30, 2005 Devils Flyers 7:00 PM EST -
Nov 30, 2005 Maple Leafs Lightning 7:30 PM EST TSN
Nov 30, 2005 Blue Jackets Wild 8:00 PM EST -
Nov 30, 2005 Kings Blackhawks 8:30 PM EST -
Nov 30, 2005 Sharks Stars 8:30 PM EST -
Nov 30, 2005 Avalanche Canucks 10:00 PM EST TSN
Nov 30, 2005 Coyotes Mighty Ducks 10:30 PM EST -

Posted by admin at 03:24 PM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2005

Crowd heaps abuse on Todd Bertuzzi as Avalanche bury Canucks 6-2

DENVER (CP) - After a night of feeling the wrath of a boisterous crowd, Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi was in no mood to seek forgiveness.
A noisy crowd heaped abuse on Bertuzzi in his return to the Pepsi Centre while the Colorado Avalanche buried the Canucks 6-2 on Thursday night. Looking weary and edgy, Bertuzzi rolled his eyes when asked if the Colorado fans would ever forgive him for his hit that may have ended Steve Moore's career, and did he care if they did. "It is what it is," Bertuzzi said curtly. "Read into it. Is is what it is. What am I going to do about it?"
It was Bertuzzi's first game in Denver since his March 8, 2004, punch from behind that broke bones in Moore's neck. Moore's hockey career remains in doubt because of post-concussion symptoms.

DENVER (CP) - After a night of feeling the wrath of a boisterous crowd, Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi was in no mood to seek forgiveness.

A noisy crowd heaped abuse on Bertuzzi in his return to the Pepsi Centre while the Colorado Avalanche buried the Canucks 6-2 on Thursday night. Looking weary and edgy, Bertuzzi rolled his eyes when asked if the Colorado fans would ever forgive him for his hit that may have ended Steve Moore's career, and did he care if they did. "It is what it is," Bertuzzi said curtly. "Read into it. Is is what it is. What am I going to do about it?"
It was Bertuzzi's first game in Denver since his March 8, 2004, punch from behind that broke bones in Moore's neck. Moore's hockey career remains in doubt because of post-concussion symptoms.

The Canucks were flat and played without emotion for 40 minutes before outshooting the Avalanche 23-0 in the third period. After looking uninspired for the first two periods, Bertuzzi had three good scoring chances in the third when the Canucks were down by four goals.

"It's a little late when the game is out of hand," said Bertuzzi, who finished the night at minus-2. "I had the chances. I just couldn't put them in."

Pierre Turgeon scored twice for Colorado, once on the power play, and Milan Hejduk collected his 200th career goal as the Avs steamrolled over the Canucks. The win was the third in four games for the Avalanche, who improved to 5-4-1.

A thunderous chorus of boos rained down on Bertuzzi like a monsoon every time the big Canuck forward stepped on the ice. There were chants of "Bertuzzi sucks" as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Bertuzzi refused to say if the hostile reception bothered him. He admitted to being frustrated over the way the Canucks surrendered the game.

"I'm frustrated we didn't get the two points," said Bertuzzi, who picked up his seventh assist of the season on Ryan Kesler's third-period goal.

"The two points were the key here tonight.

"I'm not pleased with our effort. In the first two periods, we stayed back on our heels and let them come to us. That was the game there, in the first two periods."

Centre Brendan Morrison said the Canucks weren't surprised by crowd's disdain for Bertuzzi.

"We knew it was going to be like this," said Morrison. "We just didn't compete early on."

Vancouver captain Markus Naslund said the Canucks weren't distracted by the undercurrents surrounding the game.

"That wasn't the reason we played terrible," said Naslund.

"I really don't have the answer why we came out like that."

Ian Laperriere and Steve Konowalchuk also scored for Colorado, who snapped Vancouver's six-game win streak. Andrew Brunette had three assists and John-Michael Liles a pair.

Henrik Sedin also scored for Vancouver who dropped to 8-2-1.

For the first 40 minutes Bertuzzi often seemed to skate on the edge of the play. He didn't seem interested in being physical or parking himself in front of the Avs net.

The Avalanche players seemed to take delight in unloading on Bertuzzi.

In the first period Ossi Vaananen rammed him into the boards with a hit that shook the glass. In the second period the crowd screamed with joy when Rob Blake put a shoulder into Bertuzzi, dumping him onto the ice.

"Hey, we play professional sports. There's so much emotion," said Avs forward Brad May, a former Canuck. "This was a great place to be tonight as an athlete. Booing. Cheering. Sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's great. It was just good to get a win."

Many in the crowd of 18,007 sent Bertuzzi not-so-settle messages.

Four fans wore black-white stripped prison uniforms and held up cardboard jail bars. At the other end of the rink another group sported neck braces.

During the pre-game skate two men in orange overalls - one with 'Bertuzzi county jail' written on the back - stood by the glass near the Canuck goal. Every time Bertuzzi skated by they heckled him.

"I don't know if the reaction played a large role in the outcome," Canucks centre Trevor Linden said. "We knew it was going to be like this. It was no secret."

Bertuzzi's hit on Moore resulted in a 17-month suspension. He also was charged in Vancouver and later pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm. He received a conditional discharge.

There were Bertuzzi fans at the game.

Nicole Horning, of Saskatoon, showed up wearing a Bertuzzi jersey. She waved a Canuck flag at the glass until a security guard asked her to put it away.

Bad blood had boiled between the Canucks and Avs prior to Bertuzzi's attack on Moore.

In an earlier game Moore had caught Naslund with his head down and delivered a hit that left the Canuck captain with a concussion. There was no penalty called on the play.

The Canucks and Avalanche play again in Denver on Saturday night in a game shown on Hockey Night in Canada.

"We have to regroup and have a hard practice tomorrow and get ourselves prepared," said Bertuzzi. "We're a team that bounces back pretty good and we expect that Saturday."

Notes: - During the morning skate Morrison came onto the ice wearing a fuzzy black wig he'd bought at a costume store the night before. Morrison said he wanted to lighten up the practice . . . In the previous six games the Canucks were 12-for-53 on the power play . . . Richard Park came into Denver scoreless in six games.

Posted by admin at 03:01 PM | Comments (0)

October 18, 2005

A long way from home, White Sox fans celebrate in the rain

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - The rain kept falling and the White Sox fans stayed put.

JANIE MCCAULEY
"We're not leaving!" We're not leaving!" "Four more wins! Four more wins!" These Chicago South Siders had been waiting far too long for the White Sox to reach the World Series to be deterred by bad weather or their 2,500-mile trip home from Angel Stadium. When they finally began making their way out more than an hour after Chicago wrapped up the AL championship series in five games with a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels, the White Sox fans chanted and danced all the way out.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - The rain kept falling and the White Sox fans stayed put.

JANIE MCCAULEY
"We're not leaving!" We're not leaving!" "Four more wins! Four more wins!" These Chicago South Siders had been waiting far too long for the White Sox to reach the World Series to be deterred by bad weather or their 2,500-mile trip home from Angel Stadium. When they finally began making their way out more than an hour after Chicago wrapped up the AL championship series in five games with a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels, the White Sox fans chanted and danced all the way out.
"It finally puts us above the Cubs, because they've been getting all the credit," said bench coach Harold Baines, who played more than 13 of his 22 seasons with the White Sox.

Manager Ozzie Guillen had a few words for Chicago fans everywhere as they celebrate the club's first trip to the World Series in 46 years:

"Enjoy it. Enjoy it. Have a great time," Guillen said. "Don't get too crazy in the street. Be careful. I know people are going wild right now. ... Feel proud about this team. Feel proud about what we did. I know what we want to do, but I think Chicago fans should feel real proud."

-

LINEUP SHAKE-UP: Mike Scioscia shook up his lineup for Game 5 to try to give the Angels some much-needed punch against Chicago's sensational starting pitchers.

The Los Angeles manager replaced Steve Finley in center field, moving Garret Anderson from left to center and starting Juan Rivera in left. Rookie Casey Kotchman was the designated hitter, and Scioscia even considered moving Chone Figgins out of the leadoff spot.

The moves didn't sit well with Finley, though the 40-year-old outfielder batted just .150 (3-for-20) with one RBI and six strikeouts this post-season.

"Not happy. That's all I can say about it," Finley said before the game at Angel Stadium, where it rained lightly in the hours leading up to first pitch and the game started 14 minutes late.

"I don't make the decisions," he said. "I really wanted to play today. I don't make the lineups. I'm not happy. I'm not playing. Hopefully I can do something during the game to help us win."

Finley strained his right shoulder in June and missed 18 games. He had one of the worst seasons of his career - if not the worst - hitting .222 with 12 homers and 54 RBIs in 112 games. He spent a stint on the bench late in the season.

"The shoulder is everything - the whole year," he said regarding his poor season. "Look what's happening to Vlady right now. I'm fine right now, my swing is fine right now. I've hit some line drives."

Scioscia sought a more defensive-oriented lineup and wanted to take some pressure off Vladimir Guerrero, Anderson and Darin Erstad.

"I don't know if it's going to spark us or not, but it's going to take some pressure off some guys in the middle where if they haven't swung it gives us trouble," Scioscia said. "It gives us a little deeper lineup, and offensively it can help us."

Kotchman, a 22-year-old rookie who batted .278 with seven homers and 22 RBIs in 47 games this year, started for the second straight game. He had two hits with a double and drove in a run during Saturday's 8-2 loss.

His father, Tom, has been with the organization for 22 years as a scout and coach, and led the rookie Orem Owlz to the Pioneer League championship this season. Tom Kotchman knew when Casey was in high school and took batting practice one day in Spokane, Wash., before the elder Kotchman's Class-A Boise Hawks played the Spokane Indians that his son had a serious future.

"A scout from California with the Texas Rangers said, 'Who's that kid?"' Tom Kotchman recalled Sunday. "I said, 'He's a high school kid.' I didn't tell him he was my son. ... Other scouts said, 'You know how to evaluate everybody else but your own kid."'

Kotchman, who played 38 games for the Angels in 2004, was still available with the 13th pick of the 2001 draft, and the Angels took him.

"He told me, 'Dad, I'm going to be in the big leagues in three years,' and he ended up being right," Tom Kotchman said.

-

SAME 'OL SOX: Paul Konerko woke up Sunday and everything seemed normal, despite the fact he was Chicago's offensive star in the previous two games of the ALCS.

No jitters or added anxiety with the White Sox one win from their first World Series since 1959.

"Everybody's in the clubhouse talking about fantasy football like every Sunday," Konerko said.

Guillen has always told his Chicago players that this team would stick to its formula, win or lose. That meant the pitchers would do things the same way and work through problems as they arise - same for hitting and defence.

"It's what Ozzie said from Day 1 of spring training: 'You come to play every day. Whatever it is you do, do it the same way every day,"' Konerko said. "'I don't care what you did the day before, good or bad or what the team did the day before, good or bad. You do the same every day.' And guys latched on to it, and it's worked."

-

OZZIE ON A ROLL: Guillen was pumped up before Game 5 and went on a rambling discourse on a variety of subjects as he sat in the dugout with his club one victory from its first World Series since 1959.

"It's been so many years without that feeling in Chicago," he said of what it would mean for Chicago to win a ring.

Guillen reiterated he will give some thought to retiring should the White Sox win the championship. He said he expected third base coach Joey Cora to be a manager soon.

Posted by admin at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)

October 05, 2005

For the love of the game

Why, you might ask, would Wayne Gretzky want to subject himself to the rigors of being an NHL head coach?

Let's face it, the job of an NHL bench boss isn't easy. It's a pressure-cooker environment, demanding of both mind and body with practices, games and travel. So, why would Gretzky want to leave the owner's box of the Phoenix Coyotes to become the team's head coach?

For anyone who ever watched Gretzky play, the answer is easy.

Why, you might ask, would Wayne Gretzky want to subject himself to the rigors of being an NHL head coach?

Let's face it, the job of an NHL bench boss isn't easy. It's a pressure-cooker environment, demanding of both mind and body with practices, games and travel. So, why would Gretzky want to leave the owner's box of the Phoenix Coyotes to become the team's head coach?

For anyone who ever watched Gretzky play, the answer is easy.

Love of the game.

"I heard people say 'Why would you want to do this?' And my answer was 'Why not?' It's what I love. It's what I know," Gretzky said. "I said this earlier, Glen Sather was the best coach I had and what made him good was his confidence in what he did. I believe that I'm gonna be a good coach. It's gonna take, obviously, more games behind the bench. The more experience you get the better.

"I think it's kind of ironic that when I broke into professional hockey at 17 that I was told that I was too small, and too slow, and that I wouldn't make it to the NHL," Gretzky said. "And now, it's kind of flip-flopped. The sense is, 'Well, you can't be a good coach because you were a great athlete'. So, I don't know. I kind of think that, you know, I wasn't naturally gifted with size and speed. Everything I did in hockey I worked for and that's the way I'll be as a coach. I will work hard, prepare hard."

And after authoring the greatest career in NHL history and successfully helping Hockey Canada return to international glory at the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2004 World Cup, Gretzky wanted a more hands-on role than being an owner.

I wanted to be in the game, simple as that," Gretzky said. "Two, I wanted to feel the energy and the excitement again of competing. Being in the locker room, being with the players, I'm excited about that part of it. Yeah, it's not gonna be easy every day. Some days are gonna be tougher than other days. But, I look forward to this as a new chapter in my life. I'm really excited about it. Our team's gonna play hard, we're gonna be ready to play every night. With the new rules we have in the league now, we like our speed and our size, so I look forward to it."

The Phoenix Coyotes of 2005-06 are much different than the team that finished the 2003-04 season with a 22-36-18-6 record. Ready to make their Coyotes' debuts this season are Brett Hull, Curtis Joseph, Petr Nedved, Mike Ricci, Mike Leclerc, Sean O'Donnell, Boyd Devereaux, Denis Gauthier and Oleg Saprykin. Gretzky believes this significant transformation will move the Coyotes in the right direction.

"(GM) Mike (Barnett) and I talked about this quite a bit over the last 10 months," Gretzky said. "Last June, we went out and recruited, we feel, a pretty good hockey team. We added some speed, some character, and some talent. Yes, I'm tremendously excited to be part of this group. I think it's gonna be fun to coach this group of guys. I really look forward to sharing my knowledge of the sport and the game. I don't have to sit up top and watch. I can actually be on the ice, that's the part I'm looking forward to the most.
"I'm excited about coaching some of the players that we've recruited over the past 12 months, some of them I've played with, other guys that I know," Gretzky said. "Mike and I have had many conversations about the team and players that we've signed and players that we've recruited. I'm really excited to be back in the locker room and on the ice because that's where I love to be. I'm thrilled to, sort of, be back on the hot seat and I'm looking forward to it."

Pressure is no stranger to Gretzky, who as a player rewrote large sections of the NHL record book and took the expectations of an entire country onto his shoulders at Salt Lake City. And Gretzky said one simple way to deal with pressure, expectations and the like is to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

"Listen, there's only one way to be a coach and that's to be here all the time," he said. "That's pretty simple and basic and that part of it is exciting for me. As I've been through my career as a player, and Team Canada and now here, I don't think one person is bigger than anyone else within an organization. So the coaching staff and the associates I've put together were for a reason. They'll have a responsibility and they'll be as big a part of this as I am.

"You know, our team needs to understand pressure and the importance of winning," Gretzky said. "To be a team that's going to be watched ... and, you know, the expectations are gonna be higher. That's pressure that comes with the territory. I think it will be good for our team. It will make us a better team. So, no, I'm not worried about that and I don't think our players are. I mean, guys like Nedved, who played in New York, understand. You know, this will be good for our team. It'll be more pressure and higher expectations and I think that will be good for our team.

"We've always got work to do. But, you know, we'll do it together. I like the group of players we've brought in. You always look for changes, you always look to make the team better. But all-in-all, I kind of like what we have. You know, it's an interesting sort of a year because everyone's missed 12 months. Coming out of the gate is an important factor. Some teams will probably come out quicker than others. We're gonna make sure that our guys are ready to come out of the gate as quick as possible."

Posted by admin at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)

October 04, 2005

Heatley scores twice, adds an assist as Senators blank Canadiens 3-0

MONTREAL (CP) - The first phase of Dany Heatley's career as an Ottawa Senator is over and so far, the big winger looks like a perfect fit.

Heatley scored two goals and set up another as the Senators posted a 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night in the final NHL pre-season match for both clubs.

Heatley, who was acquired before training camp from Atlanta for sniper Marian Hossa, ended the exhibition schedule with six goals and nine assists in seven games - second on the team to linemate Jason Spezza's 16 points.

MONTREAL (CP) - The first phase of Dany Heatley's career as an Ottawa Senator is over and so far, the big winger looks like a perfect fit.
Heatley scored two goals and set up another as the Senators posted a 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night in the final NHL pre-season match for both clubs.
Heatley, who was acquired before training camp from Atlanta for sniper Marian Hossa, ended the exhibition schedule with six goals and nine assists in seven games - second on the team to linemate Jason Spezza's 16 points.

He will play his first regular season game as a Senator on Wednesday night when Ottawa visits Toronto.

"We both like to move the puck and shoot and it just seems to be working," Heatley said of his partnership with the gifted Spezza. "We're finding each other really well.

"But still, it's pre-season and now the real test starts."

Coach Bryan Murray said he never doubted that Heatley would excel as a Senator, despite coming back from an eye injury last season and the horrific car crash during training camp with Atlanta in 2003 in which teammate Dan Snyder was killed and Heatley badly injured.

"We never had any question marks," said Murray. "From the first day, we said he can score from in tight or from the perimeter.

"He's a quality player. Guys get beaten up - an accident or an eye injury - but the wonderful thing about the human body is that we recover, given time. He's such a young guy, you just know he'll get better and better."

The third member of the line, rookie Brandon Bochenski, also scored for Ottawa, which broke open a 1-0 game with two quick goals in the third period.

The win avenged a 6-3 loss to the Canadiens in Ottawa on Saturday night. The Senators went 7-1 in the pre-season while Montreal was 5-3.

"Now to have played them, at least we can see where we are," Montreal centre Mike Ribeiro said of the two-game set with Ottawa. "The last game, we showed up and this time, they came out hard at us.

"But at least Wednesday we'll be playing for something."

The real test begins Wednesday, when Montreal plays at Boston.

Both teams have two players left to cut - one defenceman and one forward each - on Monday.

For Montreal, the decision may come down to either of defencemen Mark Streit and Ron Hainsey and either of tough guys Raitis Ivanans and Peter Vandermeer, although coach Claude Julien hasn't ruled out keeping two enforcers.

Earlier Sunday, the Canadiens returned 18-year-old winger and crowd favourite Guillaume Latendresse to his junior team, the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

For Ottawa, a tough decision looms between defencemen Andrej Meszanos and Christoph Schubert. Meszanos had a strong game against Montreal, but he is easier to send to the minors because he doesn't need to clear waivers, while Schubert does.

"You have to like him," Murray said of Meszanos. "He blocked a couple of shots. He was limping on one foot and slid down and blocked another shot. He's a very competitive young guy.

The only 'but' about him is that he doesn't require waivers."

Meszaros tipped a pass to Heatley at the Ottawa blue-line and the big winger charged up the ice and beat Jose Theodore with a low shot inside the near post 5:04 into the game.

The Senators dominated the opening period, outshooting Montreal 16-8, but the Canadiens also had chances. Craig Rivet had Ottawa starter Dominik Hasek beat as he skated across the crease, but his backhand shot went off the post.

Penalty killing units on both sides shone as the middle period saw a parade to the penalty box, including a call against Hasek for playing the puck outside the new restricted zone behind the goalline.

In the third, Theodore misplayed the puck in front of his net and Heatley slid it to Bochenski for a tap-in goal on a power play at 11:53.

Spezza fed Heatley for a quick shot from the right faceoff circle that beat Theodore at 14:39.

Ray Emery took over from Hasek at 10:42 of the second period and made a smart save on Ribeiro at the doorstep nine minutes into the third.

Theodore went all the way in goal for Montreal.

Ottawa outshot Montreal 32-28 and were 8-for-8 in penalty killing before an announced crowd of 18,010.

The Canadiens rested defenceman Sheldon Souray and Francis Bouillon and forwards Chris Higgins, Steve Begin and Niklas Sundstrom.

Ottawa sat out Schubert and forwards Vaclav Varada and Brian McGratton.

Posted by admin at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2005

Remaining NHL Free Agents

NEW YORK (CP) - Remaining National Hockey League free agents (note: some players whose names appear on this list may recently have signed with their respective clubs but contracts have not been filed with the League):
Group 2

Subject to Compensation and Right to Match

The players listed below have been tendered a qualifying offer by their respective clubs and are subject to draft-choice compensation and right to match. The draft choice compensation scale is based on compensation offered by the new Club:

NEW YORK (CP) - Remaining National Hockey League free agents (note: some players whose names appear on this list may recently have signed with their respective clubs but contracts have not been filed with the League):

.
Group 2

Subject to Compensation and Right to Match

The players listed below have been tendered a qualifying offer by their respective clubs and are subject to draft-choice compensation and right to match. The draft choice compensation scale is based on compensation offered by the new Club:

Offer-Compensation

$660,000 or below: No compensation.

Over $660,000 to $1 million: Third-round choice.

$1-million to $2-million: Second-round choice.

$2-million to $3-million: First and third-round choices.

$3-million to $4-million: First, second and third-round choices.

$4-million to $5-million: Two first-round choices, one second and one third-round choice.

Over $5-million: Four first-round choices.

Anaheim

Kip Brennan, Stanislav Chistov.

Atlanta

Shane Hnidy, Brian Maloney, Tommi Santala.

Boston

Nick Boynton, Jonathan Girard, Andy Hilbert, Ivan Huml, Martin Samuelsson, Sergei Zinovjev.

Buffalo

Jay McKee, Sean McMorrow, Taylor Pyatt.

Calgary

Chris Clark, Chuck Kobasew, Matthew Lombardi, Lynn Loyns.

Carolina

Bruno St. Jacques.

Chicago

Craig Anderson, Michael Holmqvist, Quintin Laing, Michael Leighton, Mikhail Yakubov.

Colorado

Riku Hahl, Philippe Sauve, Karlis Skrastins.

Columbus

Alexander Svitov.

Detroit

Niklas Kronvall, Joey MacDonald.

Edmonton

Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff, Michael Morrison, Tony Salmelainen.

Florida

Christian Berglund, Joel Kwiatkowski, Vaclav Nedorost.

Los Angeles

Yanick Lehoux.

Minnesota

Erik Reitz.

Montreal

Marc-Andre Thinel.

Nashville

Andrei Mukhachev, Libor Pivko.

New Jersey

Ari Ahonen, Sean Brown, Matt Demarchi, Patrik Elias, Jeff Friesen, Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, David Hale, Viktor Kozlov, Jamie Langenbrunner, Paul Martin, Ilkka Pikkarainen, Krisjanis Redlihs, Colin White.

N.Y. Islanders

Rob Collins, Eric Godard, Kenny Jonsson, Justin Mapletoft, Justin Papineau, Mark Parrish, Tomi Pettinen.

N.Y. Rangers

Karel Rachunek.

Ottawa

Andrew Hedlund.

Philadelphia

Randy Jones, Freddy Meyer, David Printz, Wade Skolney.

Phoenix

Sheldon Keefe.

Pittsburgh

Matt Hussey, Guillaume Lefebvre, Ross Lupaschuk, Matt Murley, Martin Strbak, Jocelyn Thibault.

San Jose

Alexander Korolyuk.

Tampa Bay

Nikita Alexeev, Andreas Holmqvist, Eric Perrin, Shane Willis.

Toronto

Pierre Hedin, Nathan Perrott, Karel Pilar.

Vancouver

Bryan Allen, Artem Chubarov, Matt Cooke, Jason King, Jarkko Ruutu, Nathan Smith.

Washington

Josef Boumedienne.

-

Group 3

Unrestricted Free Agents

The following players have qualified for Group 3 Free Agency (age 31 or older with at least four accrued seasons) and are unrestricted free agents.

Calgary

Andrei Trefilov.

Chicago

Steve Poapst.

Colorado

Vincent Damphousse, Darby Hendrickson.

Columbus

Arturs Irbe.

Dallas

Don Sweeney.

Detroit

Stacy Roest, Jason Woolley.

Los Angeles

Roman Cechmanek, Stephane Quintal.

Montreal

Karl Dykhuis.

Nashville

Tony Hrkac, Greg Johnson, Jim McKenzie.

New Jersey

Scott Stevens.

Philadelphia

Claude Lapointe, Marcus Ragnarsson, John Slaney.

Pittsburgh

Mike Eastwood.

St. Louis

Alexander Khavanov.

Washington

Stephane Beauregard.

-

Group 5 Free Agents

No players remain in this category.

-

Group 6

Unrestricted Free Agents

The following players qualify for unrestricted free agency, having met the requirements for Group 6 free agency. These players, whose contracts have expired, are age 25 or older, have completed three or more professional seasons, and (i) in the case of a player other than a goaltender, have played less than 80 NHL games (regular-season and playoff), or (ii) in the case of a goaltender, have played less than 28 NHL games (regular-season and playoff).

Atlanta

Cory Larose, Kyle Rossiter.

Buffalo

Tom Askey, Brandon Smith.

Chicago

Ajay Baines, Shawn Thornton.

Colorado

Chris Bala, Mathieu Darche, Andre Savage, D.J. Smith, Jeff Ulmer.

Columbus

Karl Goehring, Zenith Komarniski, Andre Lakos, Brad Moran, Jeff Panzer, Darrel Scoville.

Detroit

Pete Vandermeer.

Edmonton

Sean McAslan, Tyler Moss, Rocky Thompson.

Florida

Patrick Desrochers, Burke Henry, Ryan Jardine, Ty Jones, Kamil Piros, Travis Scott.

Los Angeles

Ryan Flinn, Chris Schmidt.

Minnesota

Dan Cavanaugh, Ray Giroux.

Montreal

Gavin Morgan.

Nashville

Jerred Smithson.

New Jersey

Rob Skrlac.

N.Y. Islanders

Barrett Heisten, Dieter Kochan, Ryan Kraft, Richard Seeley.

N.Y. Rangers

Richard Scott, Stephen Valiquette.

Ottawa

Jesse Fibiger, Pat Kavanagh.

Philadelphia

Neil Little.

Phoenix

Nik Tselios.

St. Louis

Jame Pollock.

Vancouver

Jeff Heerema, Justin Morrison.

Washington

Darcy Verot.

-

Unrestricted Free Agents

The following players were not tendered a qualifying offer and are therefore unrestricted free agents not subject to a right to match or draft choice compensation:

Anaheim

Eddy Ferhi, Cory Pecker, Alexei Smirnov, Lance Ward.

Atlanta

Paul Flache, Libor Ustrnul.

Boston

Peter Hamerlik, Robert Liscak, P.J. Stock, Kris Vernarsky.

Buffalo

Jason Botterill, Brad Brown, Ryan Jorde.

Calgary

Sebastien Centomo, Deryk Engelland, Anders Eriksson, Brennan Evans, Davis Parley, Roman Rozakov.

Carolina

Ryan Bayda, Daniel Boisclair, Sean Curry, Jim Henkel, Ed Hill, Marty Murray, Jared Newman, Rob Zepp.

Chicago

Scott Balan, Brandin Cote, Igor Radulov.

Colorado

Dennis Bonvie, Sergey Klyazmin, Agris Saviels, Peter Worrell.

Columbus

Scott Heffernan, Ben Knopp, Joe Motzko, Mike Pandolfo, Prestin Ryan, Matthias Trattnig, Duvie Westcott.

Detroit

Paul Ballantyne, Danny Groulx.

Edmonton

Mike Bishai, Joe Cullen, Jamie Wright.

Florida

Eric Beaudoin, Scott Kelman, Josh Olson.

Los Angeles

Jason Holland, Esa Pirnes.

Minnesota

Jason Beckett, Christoph Brandner, Marc Cavosie, Mark Cullen, Kyle Kettles, Jordan Krestanovich.

Montreal

Benoit Dusablon, Christian Larrivee, Matt Shasby.

Nashville

Andreas Lilja, Vladimir Orszagh.

New Jersey

Jiri Bicek, Phil Cole, Eric Johansson, Matus Kostur.

N.Y. Islanders

Graham Belak, Blaine Down.

N.Y. Rangers

Dan Blackburn, Lucas Lawson, Layne Ulmer.

Ottawa

Josh Langfeld, Charlie Stephens.

Philadelphia

Nick Deschenes, Jeff Smith, Radovan Somik, Peter White.

Phoenix

Daniel Cleary, Mike Stutzel.

Pittsburgh

Steven Crampton, Darcy Robinson.

San Jose

David Cloutier, Scott Ford, Aaron Gill.

Toronto

Nathan Barrett, Harold Druken, Regan Kelly.

Vancouver

Tim Smith.

Washington

Jason Doig, Justin Eddy.

End Remaining NHL Free Agents List

Posted by admin at 04:55 PM | Comments (0)

September 02, 2005

WHL to unveil shootout this weekend during Silvertips tournament

CALGARY (CP) - In a rehearsal for the coming season, the Western Hockey League announced on Thursday that a shootout will be held at the end of each game during the pre-season tournament hosted by the Everett Silvertips this weekend.

CALGARY (CP) - In a rehearsal for the coming season, the Western Hockey League announced on Thursday that a shootout will be held at the end of each game during the pre-season tournament hosted by the Everett Silvertips this weekend.

Following the decision by the National Hockey League to begin using a shootout if a regular-season game is tied after the five-minute overtime period, all three of the Canadian Hockey Leagues have followed suit.

The WHL decided to incorporate shootouts for the pre-season tournament in an effort to familiarize coaches, players, officials, scorekeepers, timekeepers and public address announcers on procedures.

Regardless of a game's final score at the conclusion of regulation, each team will participate in the shootout. The final score of games decided after 60 minutes of play will be official for the tournament, regardless of the outcome of the skater-versus-goalie competition.

However, should a game be tied at the end of regulation, the teams will immediately commence with the shootout and forgo the normal five-minute overtime period.

Six teams will be competing Friday through Sunday in Everett, including the host Silvertips, Kamloops Blazers, Portland Winter Hawks, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs, and Vancouver Giants.

Other WHL teams playing pre-season games this weekend may also employ a shootout.

Posted by admin at 04:04 PM | Comments (0)

August 22, 2005

Rangers forward Jagr named Czech Republic's hockey player of the season

PRAGUE (AP) - New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr was voted the Czech Republic's player of the year for the sixth time.

The 33-year-old veteran won the vote by a panel of sports journalists and hockey coaches Saturday. Tomas Kaberle and goalie Tomas Vokoun were runners-up for the 2004-05 season award.
After the NHL lockout wiped out the entire 2004-05 NHL season, Jagr first played for hometown club Kladno in the Czech league. In November, he moved to Russia and helped Avangard Omsk win January's European Champions Cup.

In May, Jagr won his first world championship to become the 15th player to win Stanley Cup, Olympic and world championship titles.

PRAGUE (AP) - New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr was voted the Czech Republic's player of the year for the sixth time.

The 33-year-old veteran won the vote by a panel of sports journalists and hockey coaches Saturday. Tomas Kaberle and goalie Tomas Vokoun were runners-up for the 2004-05 season award.
After the NHL lockout wiped out the entire 2004-05 NHL season, Jagr first played for hometown club Kladno in the Czech league. In November, he moved to Russia and helped Avangard Omsk win January's European Champions Cup.

In May, Jagr won his first world championship to become the 15th player to win Stanley Cup, Olympic and world championship titles.

Posted by admin at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)

August 01, 2005

Anaheim Mighty Ducks call news conference to announce new head coach

ANAHEIM, Calif. (CP) - The Anaheim Mighty Ducks scheduled a news conference Monday to announce the NHL club's new head coach.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (CP) - The Anaheim Mighty Ducks scheduled a news conference Monday to announce the NHL club's new head coach.

A television station reported that it would be former NHL player and Manitoba Moose coach Randy Carlyle. The announcement was scheduled to be made at 5 p.m. EDT.
Under new general manager Brian Burke, Anaheim had offered former coach Mike Babcock a one-year deal, which he turned down to become the new head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

The Mighty Ducks missed the playoffs in 2003-04 with a record of 29-35-10-8 after reaching the Stanley Cup final and losing to New Jersey the previous year.

Posted by admin at 07:37 PM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2005

NHL ANNOUNCES CANCELLATION OF 2004-05 SEASON

NEW YORK (February 16, 2005) - The National Hockey League announced today that, because a new collective bargaining agreement has not been realized, it no longer is practical to conduct an abbreviated 2004-05 season.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman issued the following statement:

"Every professional sports League owes its very existence to its fans. Everyone associated with the National Hockey League owes our fans an apology for being unable to accomplish what is necessary for our game and our fans. We are truly sorry.

"Five months ago, I stated that the National Hockey League could not function without an economic system that will bring our League into the 21st Century. I said that our 30 Clubs were united in their dedication to an economic system under which the teams and players, sharing common objectives and a commitment to our fans' satisfaction, would work together as partners.

"The time since then has been devoted to the pursuit of that goal. Today, I can tell you that our determination remains every bit as strong as it was in September to secure the partnership required to protect and ensure the future of the League ... for the benefit of the Clubs, the Players, and our devoted fans.

"When I stood before you in September, I said NHL teams would not play again until our economic problems had been solved. As I stand before you today, it is my sad duty to announce that because that solution has not yet been attained, it no longer is practical to conduct even an abbreviated season. Accordingly, I have no choice but to announce the formal cancellation of play for 2004-05.

"We profoundly regret the suffering this has caused our fans, our business partners and the thousands of people who depend on our industry for their livelihoods. We will continue to explore and pursue all available options in order to achieve a successful resolution to this dispute and to get the best game in the world back where it belongs -- on the ice, in front of the best fans in the world.

"As I also said in September, what we must do now is not about the present or the short-term needs of this season. Rather, it is about the future of our League and 30 teams.

"The National Hockey League was formed in 1917, and it has played a season through to a championship in every year but 1919. Through the decades and the generations we have faced a variety of crises and challenges -- some of which seemed catastrophic at the time. The League persevered through all those adversities and the League will persevere through this one, as well -- to emerge with a framework for the future, one that is fair to everyone -- where our players are fairly paid, receiving what we can afford -- no more, no less.

"This is a sad, regrettable day that all of us wish could have been avoided."

Posted by admin at 06:45 PM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2005

NHL Lockout... No progress

NHL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UPDATE, FEBRUARY 14

NEW YORK (February 14, 2005) - Bill Daly, NHL Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, met for several hours today with Ted Saskin, Senior Director of Business and Licensing Affairs for the NHL Players' Association. No progress was made in the collective bargaining process. There will be no further comment.

Posted by admin at 06:51 PM | Comments (0)

November 04, 2004

No all star game

This is a sad day for the fans, as the NHL cancels All-Star game in Atlanta... No regular-season games have been played since the season was scheduled to begin Oct. 13, and NHL arenas have been given the go-ahead to release dates on a 45-day rolling basis. With the All-Star game now off the schedule, the next announcement could be the cancellation of the entire season. Read more about it here

Posted by admin at 05:29 PM | Comments (0)