Kukla's Korner Hockey

NHL Experimentation Coming Up

by Alanah McGinley on 08/02/11 at 09:24 PM ET
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From Lance Hornby at the Toronto Sun:

Yes, it’s time for the National Hockey League to put white mice on skates and turn the rink into a 200 by 85 foot experimental lab, with the noble intent of streamlining the game and boosting offence.

The league’s second research and development camp, to be held at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke Aug. 17-18, seeks to continue the flow re-created after the 2005 lockout. Many of the camp’s more far-fetched ideas won’t go further than this study phase, involving two teams of 2012 draft eligible players, coaches Dan Bylsma and Dave Tippett and an audience of league brass and media.

The concept of three primary faceoff dots instead of nine and red-meshed nets didn’t survive this year, but some holdover experiments, such as hybrid icing, shallow nets and gradually reducing overtime manpower from 4-on-4 to 2-on-2 will be getting a second look.

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Filed in: NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: rule+changes,

Islanders Need a New Owner

by Alanah McGinley on 08/02/11 at 07:32 PM ET
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From Damien Cox at the Toronto Star:

It’s hard for an owner to become this toxic in a community, but Wang seems to have accomplished that. Fans won’t come to his team’s games — the average attendance of 11,059 was worst in the NHL last season — and the manner in which he has operated the club — signing Rick DiPietro to a 15-year contract, hiring a university to do radio broadcasts of the team’s games, selecting the team’s backup goalie to be the new general manager — has alienated many hardcore supporters.

That, in a bankrupt county in which a $58 per head tax increase to fund this arena project was viewed very negatively, produced the public sentiment that led to Monday’s vote.

It’s not so easy for Wang to step aside, of course, and finding a buyer for the Isles would be a challenge.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Islanders | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: charles+wang,

The Shea Weber Situation

by Alanah McGinley on 08/02/11 at 04:50 PM ET
Comments (10)

From Elliotte Friedman of CBC via Twitter:

—Shea Weber requested 1-yr deal. He submitted $8M, team $4.75. Remember: this is not like MLB, where arbitrator must pick one or other.

—I don’t believe for a second the contract negotiations between the two are anywhere near $4.75. Betting is team knew Weber would ask high…

—...and this was pure strategy

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: shea+weber,

Kukla Chats with Puck Daddy

by Alanah McGinley on 08/02/11 at 04:43 PM ET
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From Sean Leahy at Puck Daddy, a quick Q&A with our own (currently vacationing) Paul Kukla:

2. Other Than Your Own, The Team You Can’t Help Rooting For

Montreal without a doubt. I still dream of a Detroit/Montreal Stanley Cup Final, taking the train between Windsor and Montreal and living like it was back in the 1950’s. I even have a fedora picked out.

Hopefully this is the season, especially with the talk of the Wings moving to the Eastern Conference. I’d even wear a suit to every game!

read on

Filed in: NHL Media, Hockey Bloggers | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Afternoon Line

by Alanah McGinley on 08/02/11 at 01:53 PM ET
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“We will continue to work closely with the Islanders to explore whatever options still may be available in light of what obviously is not a positive development. Our goal is for the team to remain on Long Island and we still hope that objective can be realized.”

—Gary Bettman (via Katie Strang at Newsday)

Update 4:34pm ET: If anyone has any ideas how to realize that objective, county exec Edward Mangano would like to hear from you.

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Islanders | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: gary+bettman,

Devils White and Hunter Clear Waivers

by Alanah McGinley on 08/02/11 at 11:58 AM ET
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From Tom Gulitti at Fire & Ice:

Defenseman Colin White and right wing Trent Hunter cleared waivers at noon today without being claimed by another team.

The next step will be for the Devils to complete the buyouts of both players, which general manager Lou Lamoriello said Monday is the intention.

read on for salary info on each player

Update 4:20pm ET: Gulitti notes on Twitter that the buyouts are now done and White and Hunter are each now Unrestricted Free Agents. On his blog, he writes:

The buyout formula is two-thirds the remaining total monetary value on the contract spread over twice the remaining years on the deal.

Filed in: NHL Teams, New Jersey Devils | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: ian+white, trent+hunter, ufa,

A Look Back at “The Game” That Created “Hockeytown”

by Doug Miller on 08/02/11 at 11:53 AM ET
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Alright, I’m sure I’ll take some heat for this, for multiple reasons, but mostly because it goes outside my blog’s rage of coverage which is listed as “everything but the NHL”. In my defense though, this isn’t news; it’s just a retrospective look at some hockey history. Plus, ever since the recent retirement of Chris Osgood, I’ve been thinking about writing about this, and providing my personal perspective on what I feel is one of the most historic games in Detroit Red Wings franchise history, at least among the games that have been played in my lifetime (1987 to present).

As a young kid growing up in Metro-Detroit, I started casually watching hockey in 1991 - mostly the Red Wings; although I soon developed a love for the Boston Bruins as well, for some unknown reason. Once I watched my first hockey game, I instantly became a fan of the sport, as I found it to be far more entertaining and exciting than football, baseball, and basketball. I quickly learned how to skate and then starting playing hockey, but I still wouldn’t consider my young self much more than a moderate fan of hockey… until May 16, 1996… when St. Louis played Detroit in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, NHL Talk, Old School, Doug Miller | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Chris+Osgood, Hockeytown, Jon+Casey, Steve+Yzerman,

Sen’s Ramblings

by Ravi on 08/02/11 at 11:13 AM ET
Comments (6)

Hello Sens faithful. As the summer days tick away and we get closer to training camp opening, I find myself looking at the Sens roster and wondering if Bryan Murray is going to make another move. Maybe a depth defenseman? Maybe another bottom 6 forward? Currently, the Sens sit at a shade under 58M $55M for the season (thank you, cap geek) so there is definitely room to take on some additional salary. Whether Mr. Melnyk wants to sign over more money is another subject altogether.

I’d love to see a 3rd line forward that can pick up some slack in the event that some of the young guys trail off during the season; some solid 10-15 goal production combined with a little “sandpaper” (as the experts call it). If Trent Hunter is available (he’s rumoured to be getting bought out), I’d scoop him up in a second. He’s got size, toughness, and (best of all) he’ll be cheap. Think of him as a very short-term insurance policy that you don’t have to expect a lot from. He’s been fairly responsible in his own zone (except in 07-08 where he was a -17) with a team like the Islanders, so he could be relied on to chip in a few goals and throw some hits.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, Ravi | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

KK- Time For Some R & R

by Paul on 08/02/11 at 10:00 AM ET
Comments (9)

You may see some limited posts from me in the upcoming days, but I am officially on vacation until Sunday morning.

My plans?  Go wherever the wind takes me.  I will keep my money in Michigan and plan to head west, then north, then east and finally south.

I admit I need some time away from emails, twitter and just about anything hockey related.

I will come back with recharged batteries and believe, the rest of August will be a very busy month at KK.

You will be seeing a lot more of Alanah and George (beginning Thursday) in the next few days and I want to thank them ahead of time for their dedication to KK.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Filed in: KK Website Business | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Devilish Good Times

by David Pavlak on 08/02/11 at 09:30 AM ET
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Please welcome David Pavlak to KK as the site’s esteemed new NJ Devils blogger. 

(And please don’t blame him for the title of this post. That’s all me—it’s the summer and I think I might have heat stroke…)

—Alanah

---

Let me start off by thanking Paul and the KK team for this opportunity. I am an aspiring sports journalist, but consider myself a fan first. I attend college at Rider University, where my location allows me to view New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers games in my spare time between class projects, newspaper responsibilities, and other side jobs that college throws your way.

Growing up in New Jersey, I was surrounded by Devils fans in every which way. In fact, a Devils game on television was the first hockey I remember seeing, and what also sparked my passion for the game. Nothing was better than the hard hitting, goal-scoring game that was on the TV in my younger years. The Devils have a rich history as an expansion team, but I guess the Stanley Cup’s don’t hurt either. Some of the greatest players have suited up in a Devils uniform, including Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko among many, many others. Let us also not forget the single best hockey announcer ever, Doc Emrick. There is also a new wave of players for the Devils now. Big names such as Zach Parise, Patrik Elias and young Adam Larsson will be sure to sign at “The Rock” for seasons to come.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, New Jersey Devils, David Pavlak | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

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