Kukla's Korner Hockey

Get The Call Right

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 06:19 PM ET
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from Katie Strang of ESPNNewYork,

New York Rangers coach John Tortorella wants hockey to adopt an NFL-style review system for the last minute of a game, he said in a pregame news conference Thursday.

The Rangers saw their late-game rally fall short in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Devils after a goaltender interference call against them negated what would’ve been the game-tying goal with less than four seconds to play. Tortorella was careful not to link the suggestion with criticism of that particular play—he was fined $30,000 last month for ripping officials after the team’s 3-2 win over the Flyers in the annual Winter Classic—but said he supports a system that would require any questionable call to be reviewed by the league’s nerve center in Toronto in the last minute of regulation.

In the NFL, calls and plays are reviewed “upstairs” in the last two minutes of the game.

“I’m not questioning the call, but it brings up a discussion and I think the NFL gets it right,” Tortorella said before the Rangers hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning at MSG. “In the last two minutes, it’s a booth replay to get the call right. I haven’t thought it all through. But maybe the last minute of an NHL hockey game, get that call right. Maybe you do have to go upstairs and make sure it’s the right call.”

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

What Will The Next 24/7 Bring?

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 05:34 PM ET
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from Justin Bourne of The Score,

So while there’s bound to be a number of surprises as there have been in the past, there’s also a few things we know we can count on being great, as we knew John Tortorella was going to be.

Here are five of those things:

The coaches: Ron Wilson and Mike Babcock

Get this: when Peter Laviolette was asked who he thought could be the breakout star from a Red Wings/Leafs 24/7 he said….Ron Wilson. Insert Tim Allen question-grunt sound here. (James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail got a number of great quotes from Laviolette on 24/7, which you can read here).

“I know Ron – he’ll have fun with it,” Laviolette said of Wilson, who he has coached with internationally with Team USA. “He’s got a good personality [for the show].

I did not see that coming.

What I DO see coming is the enigma that is Mike Babcock. He’s going to HATE having the cameras in his office, in his dressing room and every way he turns. The man is a serious Canadian beauty who puts hockey ahead of all else (and actually reminds me of a likable Bill Belichick, especially in his preparation).

He’s a great guy who doesn’t reveal his personality much over the course of a season, but I think over those four weeks, we’ll get to see it. If he agrees to go through with it, I can see him ending up pretty high on the list of coaches we’ve seen so far.

more

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

Islanders Need To Keep P.A. Parenteau

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 05:14 PM ET
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from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

An amiable sort, Parenteau said he never doubted his ability to contribute at this level, even though his path has been dotted by more than a few road blocks.

“It’s been a long road,” he said. “But I’m a pretty confident guy.”

Obviously getting a chance to play with guys such as John Tavares, also a good friend of Parenteau’s, and Matt Moulson hasn’t hurt.

“When I make a nice play around here, it doesn’t get wasted,” Parenteau said.

Now here’s where it gets interesting for the Isles, who this week signed forward Frans Nielsen to a four-year contract extension worth $11 million. Nielsen has 25 points, or roughly half those collected by Parenteau, who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Sources familiar with the negotiations say that the team has yet to begin discussions about extending Parenteau, but with the Islanders crawling back into the edge of the playoff discussion in the Eastern Conference (they are in 11th place in the conference, nine points back of eighth-place Ottawa with four games in hand), it’s hard to imagine GM Garth Snow won’t make getting Parenteau under contract a top priority. Similarly, it’s hard to imagine Snow letting Parenteau walk away for nothing on July 1.

more plus other hockey notes…

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Islanders | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: P.A.+Parenteau,

Henrik Sedin A Game-Time Decision

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 02:29 PM ET
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from Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun,

So while the Vancouver Canucks captain is officially “a game-time decision” for tonight’s meeting with the Minnesota Wild, there seems little doubt he will play and his extend his NHL ironman streak to 553 games.

Sedin tested his right ankle at this morning’s game-day skate at the Xcel Energy Center and said it felt better than it did on Wednesday.

A CT scan done on Wednesday showed no evidence of a fracture and Sedin has been assured he cannot further damage his ankle by playing. It is a pain-management issue.

“Like I said, I want to play games,” Sedin said after the team’s morning skate. “That’s No. 1 and if they say it’s not going to get any worse and I’m able to play then I am going to play. That’s my only answer.”

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Henrik+Sedin,

Howard And Cleary Both Out Through The Weekend

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 02:22 PM ET
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from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said today that goaltender Jimmy Howard and forward Danny Cleary are both out for the weekend and will be re-evaluated next week.

Howard (broken right finger on Feb. 2) has been on the ice before and after practices but hasn’t faced any shots yet because of the vibration he would feel from his stick.

“It’s a four-to-six week injury to heal, the longer we can wait the less risk you take,’’ Holland said today at Michigan Stadium, during the Winter Classic news conference. “He’s been practicing, it’s really up to him. Does he feel any pain. Probably not this weekend. I’m assuming by next week he’ll be practicing and we’ll see where he’s at.’‘

The soonest Howard is likely to return is Tuesday at home against Dallas.

Howard said he is day-to-day.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Ducks Continue To Win

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 12:42 PM ET
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from Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

Burnside: Greetings, my friend. Well, every day it seems the playoff picture in both conferences becomes murkier and murkier. And the Anaheim Ducks are doing little to clarify the situation by continuing to collect points at an alarming rate. Wednesday they knocked off Carolina in overtime, two days after besting Calgary in a shootout. In their past 15 games, the Ducks are 11-2-2 and, while they remain in 13th place in the Western Conference, they have pulled to within eight points of the eighth and final playoff spot….

LeBrun: I had a chance to catch up with Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau before the team departed for Detroit this morning. There’s definitely a buzz in the Ducks’ dressing room that something special could be happening, despite the long odds.

“There’s a sense of optimism, for sure,” Boudreau told ESPN.com.

“The guys are believing that it’s possible. If we ever get to within six or four points, it’ll be a real race.”

more plus some Phoenix, Calgary, Washington and Winnipeg talk…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Caps’ Backstrom Hopes To Be Ready For The Playoffs

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 12:11 PM ET
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from J.P. of Japers’ Rink,

[Recently Caps centerman Nicklas Backstrom spoke with Swedish outlet Gefle Dagblad about his recovery from the concussion that has sidelined him since January 3. A translation of the resulting article appears below, courtesy of our good friend Malin.]

“I don’t know when I will be able to play again, but I hope I will be ready for the playoffs.”

It was in the game against Calgary on January 3 that Rene Bourque delivered an elbow to the head of Nicklas Bäckström. The elbowing happened in the neutral zone.

“It was an unnecessary hit. I feel like he could have just skated by me instead.”

Bourque was suspended five games for that cowardly cheap shot. Since then Bourque has changed teams and he is now playing for the Montreal Canadiens where he is free to play without any restraints or problems.

Bäckström himself on the other hand has yet to play in a single game since he got hurt. He has now missed 15 games and it is still unclear when he will be able to return to the ice.

“I’m getting better, but it takes time,” he says.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Washington Capitals | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Nicklas+Backstrom,

2013 Winter Classic Announcement

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 10:11 AM ET
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If available, I will post a stream of the announcement which is scheduled for 10:30am ET.

Streaming should be from both Comerica Park at 10:30am followed by a conference at 11:15am from The Big House.

Stream can be watched below when available…

added 10:26am, Stream is now live below…

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Winter+Classic+2013,

The Rangers Could Own The City

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 09:03 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

The Rangers may skate under the radar through most of the calendar, but they have the pedigree that grants them the ability to own this city the way they did when they won it all in 1994 and even when they went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1979.

The way they have a chance to own this city this spring.

Look, this is not a powerhouse team. This is not a group glittering with stars like the one featuring Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter and Adam Graves that put an end to the 54-year Stanley Cup drought by looking history in the eye until it blinked.

But it is a team that is greater than the sum of its parts operating in a sport that rewards fabric more than any other. There are talents who do get their name above the title on the marquee, specifically Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik, and that is required of teams that go all the way, but more than the commitment to grind on every shift, to block every shot and to finish and play through every check, there is the commitment to one another.

All In, on the field.

All In, on the ice.

more

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Kiprusoff Wins Game #300 With Saves Like This

by Paul on 02/09/12 at 08:37 AM ET
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from Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun,

Kiprusoff shone brightest in the final minutes of his 34-save outing, which included a highlight-reel stop in which he was on his stomach but able to catch a puck with his feet after it rolled down his back.

Talk about a great way to reach a milestone.

“It’s nice. I try not to think about it too much, but it’s there now. And that was a huge win for us,” he said. “It’s not the easiest building to win in, but it’s not a big thing for me it’s against San Jose.”

more on the win last night…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Miikka+Kiprusoff,

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