Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Tampa-Bay-Lightning

Being Cautious With Hedman

by Paul on 11/06/09 at 05:15 PM ET
Comments (1)

from Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes,

Tampa Bay Lightning rookie defenseman Victor Hedman will not play in Saturday’s game with the Canadiens because of a concussion sustained in Thursday’s game with the Senators on a brutal hit by Ottawa’s Chris Neil.

Hedman’s next chance to play will be Thursday at home against the Wild, but coach Rick Tocchet said he could not say for sure if Hedman will be ready, and that the team will be very cautious.

“Back in the day you’d throw water on your back and go out,” Tocchet said. “But now, with those lingering effects you just have to be very careful. You got to make sure. Lucky that’s his first one, and hopefully it’s just a mild concussion. It’s one of those things you’ve got to go through the whole process and when they say he’s ready, we’ll play him."…

“I feel good, very good,” Hedman said. “It was a big hit. it was a clean hit. ... I was trying to pass the puck to (defensive partner Mattias Ohlund). I tried to reach for it and he just came and run over me. I was a little shaky there, so day to day, you can’t rush things just take it slow.”

Opinions, however, were still divided in the locker room over if the hit was clean.

more & if you missed the hit, watch it here…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Victor+Hedman,

Chris Neil Hit On Victor Hedman Tonight

by Paul on 11/05/09 at 09:27 PM ET
Comments (13)

Hedman being evaluated and will not return.

No penalty called on the hit.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Chris+Neil, Victor+Hedman,

Get Ready, Here Comes The Lecavalier Trade Talk

by Paul on 11/04/09 at 04:16 PM ET
Comments (8)

from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

Some people believe Lecavalier is untradeable because of the contract. I disagree. He remains one of the better centers in the world when he’s on his game and in the right environment.

Maybe we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves because perhaps none of this trade talk will ever come to pass. But if it does, it’s fun to wonder which teams will call, no? How about the Los Angeles Kings? I think GM Dean Lombardi has the green light to add a major piece this season. Anyone fancy a Lecavalier-Anze Kopitar 1-2 punch at center?

And what of the New York Rangers. Marian Gaborik is flying in the Big Apple. Imagine if he had a bona-fide No. 1 center?  Imagine a reunion with coach John Tortorella?

more on Lecavalier…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,

Time To Move Vinny?

by Paul on 11/04/09 at 08:26 AM ET
Comments (2)

from Stan Fischler at the HockeyJournal,

* Vin Lecavalier’s so-so season so far has Tampa Bay pundits wondering whether the Lightning brass has waited too long before unloading the captain.

And, if not, is this the time to do so before it’s too late? Compared to buddy, St. Louis, Lecavalier’s game has been uninspiring.

Could be that Vin needs the tough love of Rangers coach John Tortorella (Melrose, Mass.) more than he thinks.

* Which youngster is better that John Tavares on the Islanders? It just happens to be his buddy, Matt Moulson.

Unlike Tavares, Moulson is a college graduate (Cornell), and through the weekend totaled six goals and four assists for 10 points. Discarded by the Kings after two cups of coffee, Moulson was signed as a free agent by GM Garth Snow (Wrentham, Mass.) last summer.

more hockey observations…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Hit Of The Night- Ohlund On Kessel

by Paul on 11/04/09 at 07:27 AM ET
Comments (0)

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Mattias+Ohlund, Phil+Kessel,

The Play Of Vinny Lecavalier

by Paul on 11/03/09 at 03:42 PM ET
Comments (0)

from Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes,

“Well, Vinny knows he’s struggling, and he’s got to get some passion in his game,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “He knows it. I talked to him about it. It’s not just scoring. He’s the captain of the hockey club, and it’s not just him. But he’s the main figure on our team. We’ve got to get him going. He has to show us that he’s ready to play. He knows it. There’s no better stage than tonight in Toronto. I’d be very surprised if he didn’t sow any passion tonight.”

But Lecavalier wasn’t sure “passion” was the right way to describe what his game has been lacking.

“I think I’m working very hard,” he said. “I just think things aren’t working out. I think everybody is working hard but sometimes you’ve got to work smarter than harder. You’ve got to work hard but you’ve got to works smart, too. I just seem to be thinking too much. Maybe start playing with more instincts.”

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,

Tampa Holds Players Only Meeting After Loss To Philly

by Paul on 11/02/09 at 10:50 PM ET
Comments (0)

from Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times,

Captain Vinny Lecavalier, who had a season-low 16:06 of ice time, and Todd Fedoruk were minus-3. Marty St. Louis and Alex Tanguay had one shot each, and the team had one shot on two power-play chances.

The defense at times seemed mesmerized by the puck, allowing Flyers players to stand unchallenged in front of the net. And no one seemed prepared to throw a meaningful check or win a puck battle.

“There just wasn’t any pushback,” Tocchet said. “Our wall work was terrible. Our defense had as bad a game as they played this year. It’s tough to get anything positive.

“Tonight,” he added, “was an alarming message where we are going.”

“Sometimes your heart is in the right place but your mind is not,” Fedoruk said. “Focus, preparation, who knows? Things that have to be done before every game just weren’t there tonight.”

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Former Lightning Player John Tucker Beating Cancer

by Paul on 10/28/09 at 09:09 AM ET
Comments (1)

from Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times,

They did seek the counsel of Charles Slonim, a Tampa opthalmologist and friend, who has been a team physician for the Lightning since its inception. He also is a survivor, having beaten lymph node cancer in 1988.

“He explained it all to us when we had no clue,” Lynn said. “He held our hands and said everything was going to be okay.”

“John is a rock,” Slonim said. “He’s not a complainer. If you’re a complainer, the first thing you do is tell everybody and try to get people to feel sorry for you. That’s not John.”

In fact, Tucker said he plans to get involved with those fighting the disease, whether they be patients or caregivers, whom Tucker called “angels on earth.”

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning, Hockey Related Stories | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: John+Tucker,

Stamkos Maturing Right Before Our Eyes

by Paul on 10/23/09 at 03:48 PM ET
Comments (0)

from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

So it was interesting indeed this week to see how Stamkos would react when coach Rick Tocchet decided to break up the pair, moving the cure-all St. Louis to the struggling top line with Vincent Lecavalier and putting gritty Steve Downie with Stamkos and Ryan Malone on the second unit. The result? The new second line produced three goals while Stamkos put up a pair, including an empty-netter, in a 5-2 win over the Sharks on Thursday night.

“Obviously playing with Marty has been great, we’ve had a lot of success together,” said Stamkos. “But the coaching staff decided we needed to change things up to get the team going. I actually played with Downie last year and we had some success.

“You know, as much as it’s nice to play with Marty, you do have to show you can play without a guy of his talent and still create chances. It was nice to play well last night, win the game, and prove as a team that we can play with two solid offensive lines.”

He’s only 19, folks, but Stamkos has maturity beyond his years. Again, St.. Louis has had something to do with that, as does a solid upbringing, thanks to his parents; so does going through his first rough patch of his hockey career last season.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Steven+Stamkos,

Boyle Still Has Memories Of Tampa

by Paul on 10/21/09 at 03:49 PM ET
Comments (0)

from Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes,

Kind of a fun day at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon with the Tampa Bay Lightning skating on one ice sheet and the San Jose Sharks, who play Tampa Bay on Thursday, skating on the other.

Sharks defenseman, and former Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle took a few minutes to chat after practice and said how much he is enjoying San Jose and how good an organization it is. But Boyle said he never will overlook the years he spent with the Lightning, with which he won the 2004 Stanley Cup came into his own as a blue-liner under then-coach John Tortorella.

“There always will be a place in my heart for Tampa,” Boyle said pounding his chest.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Dan+Boyle,

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11          Next »