Kukla's Korner Hockey

Afternoon Line

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 02:25 PM ET
Comments (5)

“I was excited to come to the Kings because it put me in the thick of a playoff race.  This is what every guy in the NHL plays for – to play in the playoffs and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. Coming to Los Angeles definitely gave me a big boost.”

“It was a long year for me in Columbus, but when you find out you are coming to a team like the Kings, it’s exciting.  The games all felt like playoff games with the situation that we were in. When you are playing for a shot at the playoffs, in every game you are battling for your life and they are all must-win games.”

-Jeff Carter of the Los Angeles Kings.  Read more on Carter and the Kings from Doug Ward at the Kings’ website.

 

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 Tags: Jeff+Carter,

Define Poaching

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 12:17 PM ET
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from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

Joyce Clark admits that she is a hockey “newbie.” On her Twitter account, the Glendale, Arizona, councilor prefaces her opinions on the play of the Phoenix Coyotes with qualifiers like, “I am a novice hockey fan.”

So it’s probably fair to assume that she wouldn’t have a clue about how her new favourite team came to be at the expense of the City of Winnipeg, where there are more hockey fans residing in any three neighbourhoods than live within all of Glendale….

So it was ludicrous on so many levels Wednesday, when Clark tweeted:

I will be so pleased when Coyotes issue is settled. Then all of these Canadian poachers can move on to another team and another city.

As a councilor of a city that poached the Coyotes from the city that poached the Jets from Winnipeg, that takes guts. But Glendale councilors have proven ready to say or do almost anything, facts and consequences be damned. That could be why the jurisdiction is swimming in debt these days.

more

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Rick Dudley Named Assistant GM In Montreal

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 11:00 AM ET
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MONTREAL (May 25, 2012) – Montreal Canadiens executive vice president and general manager, Marc Bergevin, announced today the appointment of Rick Dudley to the position of assistant general manager. The Canadiens also announced a contract extension for Larry Carrière to remain assistant general manager.

Dudley brings more than 40 years of experience in professional hockey, including the last two decades as a senior executive with various NHL organizations. Before joining the Canadiens, Dudley worked extensively in various managerial capacities with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Atlanta Thrashers, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators.

“Rick Dudley is a very knowledgeable and proficient hockey executive and we are pleased to welcome him in our organization in the position of assistant general manager. Rick has been actively involved at the management level in the NHL for many years and is one of the league’s most respected executives. An outstanding talent evaluator, he has extensive experience as a scout. The success he enjoyed at all levels throughout his career speaks volume of his expertise. We are thrilled to have both Rick and Larry Carrière as assistant general managers for several seasons to come,” said Bergevin.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Rick+Dudley,

A Slap On The Wrist For The Coyotes?

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 10:50 AM ET
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via Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

The NHL is further investigating the postgame actions and comments of some Phoenix Coyotes players after their season-ending, overtime loss in the Western Conference finals, league executive vice president Colin Campbell told ESPN.com on Thursday.

The league is not pleased with some of what happened after Dustin Penner’s overtime winner Tuesday night for the Kings, including Coyotes center Martin Hanzal skating aggressively toward a referee and making a gesture, goalie Mike Smith throwing his stick and Keith Yandle’s postgame comment in which he suggested it was no surprise the calls didn’t go his team’s way given the similar colors of the refs’ and Kings’ uniforms.

“Their actions were unprofessional and unacceptable,” Campbell told ESPN.com.

The Coyotes were upset and emotional after their season ended just moments after Kings winger Dustin Brown crushed Coyotes defenseman Michal Rozsival with a controversial, borderline hit. There was no penalty on the play.

The league may decide to do nothing, but also could fine some players $2,500 apiece, the maximum under the collective bargaining agreement.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Phoenix Coyotes | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

John Davidson Wants To Stay In St. Louis, But Will He?

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 01:47 AM ET
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from Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

For years, Blues President John Davidson told fans to “Come grow with us.” Now, with new ownership in place, the question going around the organization is whether Davidson will continue to grow with the Blues.

Tom Stillman, whose group took control of the club May 10, is the middle of determining the structure of the Blues’ front office, and despite the fact that Davidson just finished the first year of a four-year contract, there are no assurances he will remain with the team.

In fact, Davidson has a “window” in his deal, which triggered when the ownership change took place and opened for an unspecified limited time, allowing him to seek employment outside of the organization.

Davidson stressed that his preference is to stay put — “We thoroughly enjoy St. Louis; it’s been great to us,” he said — but with the uncertainty of Stillman’s plans and the window closing at a time that Davidson chose not to disclose, he may soon be checking his options.

continued

 

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 Tags: John+Davidson,

Could The Canucks’ Dressing Room Be Divided?

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 01:41 AM ET
Comments (7)

from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,

Wednesday when the coach was enjoying a self-serving, post contract-extension conference call with the media and took a break from listing his accomplishments to tell everyone he didn’t think the American centre’s injury was a factor in his poor playoff performance.

Kesler’s agent Kurt Overhardt danced pretty well Thursday before saying his client was “perplexed” by Vigneault’s comments. And while the player wasn’t talking publicly, he wasn’t amused…

Kesler has some friends on this team, some of whom are not fans of Vigneault to begin with and who were very much unimpressed with the lack of preparation for the LA Kings series. They will not be thrilled at these latest developments in the least. They could easily find themselves in disagreement with the country club types who very much like Vigneault’s ‘let the players take ownership’ style whereby he’s never in anyone’s face. That group is almost certainly led by the Sedins who enjoy all the good things life has to offer here, and we’re not just talking the wine on charters and in house executive chef.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Ryan+Kesler,

Late Evening Line

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 01:14 AM ET
Comments (4)

“I was watching the Rangers-Devils game [Wednesday night] and I’m thinking ‘I should be playing [Thursday] to see if I can play against them.  ou think that after waiting so long [to win two playoff series] that a sense of accomplishment would be there. But if anything, the frustration is worse.

“Your goal is to win, to win it all. We thought we had a shot at it. But we congratulate L.A. and wish them well in the Final.”

-Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes.  More on Doan and the Coyotes from Jerry Brown at NHL.com.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Phoenix Coyotes | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Shane+Doan,

Shane Doan Talks Handshake Line

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 01:05 AM ET
Comments (4)

from Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic,

Shane Doan feels sheepish, as he should.

But he wants to make something clear:

“I didn’t swear at him. I didn’t say anything rude or disrespectful,” Doan said of his postgame dust-up with Kings’ captain Dustin Brown. “I just wasn’t as cordial as I should’ve been.”

Alas, there were two endings to the Western Conference finals. The last was a disgrace. The first was a revelation.

First, the ugly: When the Coyotes’ captain and teammate Martin Hanzal turned the ceremonial handshake line into confrontational exchanges with Brown, they breached the NHL’s code of honor.

The handshake line is one of the sacred, quirky traditions that make the NHL special. It demands instant sportsmanship regardless of what just transpired. Circumstances don’t matter. That’s the whole point.

Doan said it wasn’t as bad as it looks. He claims Brown wanted to tell his side of the story, which only infuriated Doan even more.

continued

 

Filed in: NHL Teams, Phoenix Coyotes | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Shane+Doan,

Willie Mitchell Is No Longer Dreaming

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 01:00 AM ET
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from Lisa Dillman of the LA Times,

Mitchell will be playing in his first Stanley Cup Final, which will open Wednesday with the Kings playing either the New York Rangers or the New Jersey Devils. If it’s the Devils, it will be a homecoming of sorts for Mitchell, because that team originally drafted him with its 12th choice (199th overall) in 1993. Nine years ago, in his second full NHL season with Minnesota, Mitchell advanced as far as the Western Conference finals, but the Wild was swept by the Ducks.

So when Kings teammate Dustin Penner scored the series-clinching goal in overtime in Game 5 against the Phoenix Coyotes, Mitchell said the feeling was “surreal.”

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said Thursday in El Segundo. “I was fortunate to be out on the ice when Big Pens scored. Some guys were jumping. I was just sitting there. I was like, ‘Is this happening?’ So I feel fortunate to get this chance and get the opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup for real.”

more

Remember Willie, no parade planning until the final horn sounds…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Willie+Mitchell,

Reporting From Between The Benches

by Paul on 05/25/12 at 12:56 AM ET
Comments (0)

from Bruce Dowbiggin of the Globe and Mail,

“Working inside the glass is a privileged position,” McGuire told Usual Suspects via e-mail. “I respect the spirit of co-operation between the coaches, players, and the league. I would never want to compromise that relationship. Over the last seven years, I believe we have been allowed to grow the position due to a trust that has been created.”

McGuire says he has a straightforward policy: “The standard is simple. I will report that a player is hurt, but I will not say what body part is injured. With the coaches verbal jousting, whether it be Pitt and Philly or NYR and NJD, I will say there is a confrontation but not say what they are saying towards one another.”

“I am still a player,” said Healy, who muted his microphone during Wednesday’s confrontation, too. “What’s said there, stays there. That stuff has no bearing on the game. I can promise you there were no complete sentences in there. We don’t need to turn hockey into [celebrity gossip website] TMZ or whatever.”

The two reporters are backed up by the people in the production truck.

“We are guests at the dinner table,” TSN vice-president and executive producer of live events Paul Graham said.

more

added 1:29am, Phil Mushnick of the NY Post takes the other road…

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