Kukla's Korner Hockey

Cam Ward Had Surgery To Repair Lacerated Thigh Muscle

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 03:24 PM ET
Comments (1)

vai the Twitter of Aaron Portzline,

CAR G Cam Ward had surgery late Saturday/early Sunday to repair a lacerated muscle in left thigh. Still in Cols. hospital.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Cam+Ward,

Wild Players Say Ott Should Be Suspended For Elbow On Sykora

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 02:38 PM ET
Comments (0)

via Michael Russo of Russo’s Rants,

Wild players all were talking about the hit this morning and how the league “better suspend” Ott. We will see. Unlike Derek Boogaard’s elbow last year on Brandon Prust, there wasn’t an outcry on this one in Canada…

Well, Ott took a leaping elbow into the head on Sykora in my opinion. The league allegedly wants to rid head shots, well, then throw the book at Ott, too. Or maybe Stephane Robidas for his textbook boarding on Mikko Koivu last night that was somehow missed.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Petr+Sykora, Steve+Ott,

Fighting For 14 Year-Olds?

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 10:38 AM ET
Comments (0)

from Mke Brudenell of the Detroit Free Press,

Coach Pat Peake turned to the ring to help his junior hockey team become more confident on the rink.

Peake brought in a former Kronk Golden Gloves champion, Charlie Peters, to teach boxing to his team of 14-year-olds. Although fighting is heavily policed in junior hockey and can lead to suspension, boxing helps teach self-defense and hand-eye coordination.

Peake invited Peters, who trained with and fought alongside Tommy Hearns as an amateur, to Viking Arena in Hazel Park, where the team is located.

continued

Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, Youth Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Team USA Goalie - Miller Or Thomas?

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 09:41 AM ET
Comments (0)

from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

(Craig) Anderson, a former Bruins property, is the primary reason why Colorado entered last night as the top-ranked team in the NHL (26 points, 2 more than Pittsburgh and San Jose, who met late last night). The 28-year-old native of Park Ridge, Ill., is 11-3-2 with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.

For the first time in his career, Anderson has been tapped to be the go-to goalie for his club (he backed up Tomas Vokoun in Florida the last two seasons), and he has responded by turning the revamped Avalanche into the surprise story of the NHL.

Anderson’s start has propelled him into the Olympic discussion and most likely vaulted him past Los Angeles’s Jonathan Quick, who attended the US orientation camp along with Thomas and Miller over the summer.

But when you place Anderson’s pedigree against those of his competitors, it’s a good bet that the US brain trust, led by Toronto general manager Brian Burke, will consider the Boston and Buffalo netminders, both Michigan natives (Thomas hails from Flint, Miller from East Lansing), for the starting job, even though both got a break last night.

more

Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Team+USA,

Havlat Watching Old Goals To Bust Slump

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 09:35 AM ET
Comments (0)

from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune,

When things are going south, positive imagery is often a big help.

When Marian Gaborik would slump, he’d watch Gaborik highlights to get his mojo back.

In an attempt to revive the real Martin Havlat, the Wild winger sat alone in front of a television watching some of his goals from last season’s career year in Chicago.

Even though he didn’t score during Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Dallas, Havlat was a much more confident, motivated player. He skated well, shot the puck and schooled defenders.

“It’s not the start I wanted, or we wanted as a team. We win together and lose together,” said Havlat, who has one goal and six assists in 14 games. “But individually, this is probably the worst start I ever had, so it can only get better. I just have to keep working and sooner or later it’ll start coming.”

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Martin+Havlat,

Sources Say

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 09:12 AM ET
Comments (0)

from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

Sources say Carolina has been offering D Joe Corvo to teams trying to improve their power play. Making $2.75 million, Corvo is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1 and it’s doubtful he’ll be kept. The biggest issue for the ’Canes could be C Rod Brind’Amour. The 38-year-old is struggling and has two years left on his contract with a cap hit of $3.6 million per season. The ’Canes need to get quicker. A move that could be imminent in Carolina: Ron Francis taking over from coach Paul Maurice.

more from Bruce’s sources...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Did Player Agent Go Too Far?

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 09:02 AM ET
Comments (5)

from Dave Stubbs of Habs Inside/Out,

Allan Walsh, agent for Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak, knowingly or otherwise smacked a hornet’s nest on Twitter last night immediately following the Habs’ 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay with his tweet: “Interesting stat of the night.... #Habs’ Price is 10W, 32L in last 42 starts. Hmm.”

Whether an agent should so publicly be promoting a client at the expense of someone else – that would be Carey Price – even between the lines is subject to debate. The Internet has changed all the rules (some would say significantly lowered the bar) of credibility, professionalism and even common sense.

continued

Stubbs mentioned Kelly Hrudey was not happy with the the remark from Walsh and you can watch what Kelly had to say at about the 6:15 mark in the video below…

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Allan+Walsh,

Will Gretzky Show For The HHOF Inductions?

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 08:49 AM ET
Comments (2)

via Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

If Wayne Gretzky, the single greatest attraction in hockey history, chooses to pass on tomorrow night’s Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony, what an embarrassment that will be for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and his fellow owners.

And what an indictment of the damage remaining from the attempt to salvage the Phoenix Coyotes.

The very fact that the NHL has cut a deal to buy the Coyotes, which has basically excluded Gretzky and the money owed him, may save them a few million dollars in the process but won’t be worth the alienation created with the most important player the game has known. The relationship between Gretzky and the league is the worst it has ever been no matter what rhetoric is spread.

Of all that Bettman has bungled over the years, this may be his largest gaffe from a public relations point of view. Hockey is a hard enough sell in the United States and selling out Gretzky will end up costing them more in the long run than it would have cost them to pay The Great One what he was owed.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Phoenix Coyotes | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Wayne+Gretzky,

Good Leafs Or Bad Wings?

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 08:43 AM ET
Comments (4)

from Damian Cox of the Toronto Star,

Was it the Maple Leafs, suddenly a very competent looking hockey club after two straight victories?

Or was it the Detroit Red Wings, or at least the current injury-riddled, talent-depleted version of the squad that went to the Stanley Cup final the past two springs but was steamrolled 5-1 by the Leafs last night?

Hard to say. But let’s start with this. When the Leafs were being trampled with Joey MacDonald in net and with Phil Kessel’s presence still a distant dream, it was suggested that it would be impossible to evaluate the Toronto team and individual players until top-flight goaltending was supplied by somebody, and that it was a little early to describe the Kessel-for-two-first-rounders deal as a disaster until he at least played a game.

Today, the Leafs, after beating awful Carolina and the Wings on back-to-back nights, look like a club that at least has a chance to vie for a playoff berth.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Example Of Non-Traditional Market- San Jose

by Paul on 11/08/09 at 08:37 AM ET
Comments (1)

from Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

Most hockey fans would agree that the sport belongs more in Canada than California, but count me out of any discussion that warm-weathered U.S. cities aren’t good for the NHL.

However, the league would be wise to get out of dodge in select sunny sites where puck support is weaker than conservative backing for health-care reform bills.

Don’t say goodbye to Hollywood (or Tampa Bay and Dallas), but bid adieu to Phoenix, Atlanta and South Florida.

Fox Sports Pittsburgh Penguins analyst Bob Errey agreed with me this week when I suggested San Jose, where he served as the Sharks’ first captain, was the model for how the NHL should have viewed placing teams into nontraditional markets.

Too bad the NHL failed to follow its own lead.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, San Jose Sharks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

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