Kukla's Korner Hockey

The Fighting Talk

by Paul on 01/20/09 at 07:16 AM ET
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from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,

Fighting – from its role in hockey to whether it has a future in the game – will be up for debate when the NHL’s general managers meet in March.

“When we review a rule, we review all aspects of it, including the obvious and the not so obvious,” said Colin Campbell, the NHL’s director of hockey operations. “There are some aspects to fighting we would like to ask the GMs about and we will leave no stone unturned.”

While Campbell believes questions about fighting need to be asked, Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has his answers ready.

“I think it’s a very important historical and present part of our game,” said Burke. “If it comes to a vote, Toronto is certainly not going to vote to eliminate fighting. That’s certainly not going to happen while I’m here….”

continued

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The Million Dollar Goal

by Paul on 01/20/09 at 07:07 AM ET
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via Chris Kuc of Icing,

Martin Havlat made one Blackhawks fan very happy during Monday night’s Blackhawks game.

You see, if a Hawks player scores at the 10:00 mark of the second period, an Illinois Lottery promotion awards one lucky fan $1 million.

The winner met Havlat outside the Hawks locker room following the game and looked a bit stunned (go figure) as he thanked the Hawks winger.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Martin+Havlat,

Comparing Iginla To Obama

by Paul on 01/20/09 at 07:01 AM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

The parallels in their personal histories are startling, remarkable even.

They are both products of an interracial marriage. Their fathers, black, hailed from Africa, one from Kenya, the other from Nigeria. Their mothers, white, hailed from the hinterland, one from Kansas in the American Midwest, the other from Edmonton in Canada’s frozen north.

The respective marriages faltered early, when they were babies, and so both were raised in households where the grandparents played prominent roles. They were accomplished athletes - one played high-school basketball in the U.S. the other major junior hockey in Canada. They were known, even in the early, more anonymous stages of their lives, for their leadership abilities.

Neither ever backed away from a fight, and while Barack Obama didn’t drop the gloves with Willie Mitchell or Cody McCormick or David Hale - as Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla did earlier this NHL season - the campaign to be president of the United States eventually evolved into something of a street fight in its latter days, too.

continued

added 7:19am, A similar type story from Terry Frei of the Denver Post....

Filed in: NHL Teams, Calgary Flames | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Barack+Obama, Jarome+Iginla,

Shanny’s Back

by Paul on 01/20/09 at 06:47 AM ET
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from Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice,

Shanahan played 18 shifts for 13:59 in ice time and fired a team-high six shots on goal. He made it clear that he’s out to prove those who said he was finished wrong and did so for at least one night.

“I think from what I’ve read and what I’ve hard, I genuinely believed I’m better than other people did,” he said, laughing. “It’s just a funny way of saying that in spite of some things I’ve heard, I believe I can still play. But sometimes if you’re not seen for a while, you’re sort of forgotten about. I don’t think you would do what I did - not as far as the signing or tonight or the past week—I don’t think you could do what I did since July until the day Lou (Lamoriello) signed me if you didn’t believe you could contribute because it really (stunk) in a lot of ways. Driving to the rink every night and getting offered jobs in other areas of life and telling people through surprised looks that you’re actually still intending on playing, So, it might be false confidence, but it’s useful.”

more & watch Shanahan’s first goal of the season below…

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, New Jersey Devils | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Brendan+Shanahan,

The Oilers Top Line

by Paul on 01/20/09 at 06:38 AM ET
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from David Staples of The Cult of Hockey,

In the modern Oilers context, Horcoff is the guy who digs out the puck of the Oilers’ zone and gets the play moving in the right direction, while Penner is the guy who charges the oppostion net, creating needed space down low for Hemsky to operate, to work his magic.

When all three are healthy and playing together, the Oilers have a first line that can compare to all but the very best first lines in the NHL, and might even come out on top of the finest opposition in a seven-game playoff series. Hemsky and Horcoff certainly combined with Ryan Smyth to do so in 2006.

This is a first line that can take the Oilers far into the playoffs, so long as the other lines, the defencemen and the goalie are doing their jobs.

more

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Bouwmeester Issue Will Have To Be Resolved Closer To Trade Deadline

by Paul on 01/19/09 at 08:34 PM ET
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from Steve Gorten of the Sun-Sentinel,

Caught up with GM Jacques Martin before the game. Here are his thoughts on several issues:...

Martin said he hasn’t spoken with D Jay Bouwmeester’s agent and that “there’s no change in his status.”

“We’ll talk to him in the near future,” Martin said. “The closer we get to the trading deadline, it’s an issue we’ll have to resolve. Right now, he’s playing his best hockey.

more Panthers issues….

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 Tags: Jay+Bouwmeester,

The Swing Man

by Paul on 01/19/09 at 08:30 PM ET
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from Jim Hughson of Blogs and Colums at CBC,

In a salary cap system, with a 23-man roster and the inevitable injuries during a long season, one of the most valuable players on a hockey team is the swing man, usually a defenceman who can also play up front.

Years ago Scotty Bowman had Jimmy Roberts with the Montreal Canadiens. He’d use him as a forward, but Roberts could also handle a game or two on the blue-line….

The swing man might not be a team’s MVP, but he is becoming an essential player. I’m not sure minor hockey players will ever aspire to that role, but just in case, I’d make sure my young forwards work hard on backward skating.

more with a look at some of he current NHL swing men…

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Hordichuk On Getting To The NHL

by Paul on 01/19/09 at 07:06 PM ET
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Darcy Hordichuk talks about growing up in the Prairies and his road to get to the NHL.

One of those feel good, truly Canadian success stories.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Darcy+Hordichuk,

Alfredsson Pays Off Bet

by Paul on 01/19/09 at 07:03 PM ET
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from Rob Brodie of OttawaSenators.com,

Maybe Daniel Alfredsson will never learn.

The Ottawa Senators captain happily paid the price for betting against Team Canada in the gold-medal game of the 2009 IIHF World Jjunior Championship. With his eldest son Hugo in tow, Alfredsson arrived on a snowmobile Monday afternoon to make good on a friendly wager with teammate Shean Donovan.

The two sides put a fun bet on the table for the tournament’s final game at Scotiabank Place. If Canada vanquished Alfredsson’s beloved Sweden, then the Senators captain had to clear off the snow from Donovan’s backyard rink. A victory by the Tre Kronor would have put the shovel in Donovan’s hands.

continued with a picture of Alfie shoveling off the rink…

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

Can You Believe It, Lemieux Back In The NHL

by Paul on 01/19/09 at 06:34 PM ET
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from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

Before we continue, crow must be eaten. We promised to run through the press box naked at the Stanley Cup finals if Claude Lemieux’s NHL comeback bid came to fruition. Ahem, media colleagues, you’ve been forewarned. Please make sure to have eaten dinner before we make good on our promise next June.

“That’s why we called him up,” Sharks GM Doug Wilson, joking of course, told us Monday.

We weren’t the only ones to make fun of this comeback bid. The laughter was universal around the hockey world. And Lemieux took notice.

“I got into this with my eyes wide open, knowing that most folks out there would think that I was out of my mind to attempt to do something like this,” Lemieux told a bunch of us media folk on a conference call Monday. “But it’s OK. I’ve had no problem taking criticism along the way. It motivated me even more. It’s been a fun road.”

more and a Rob Blake update plus some Flyers talk…

added 6:42pm, from Kevin Allen of Mucking and Grinding,

Essentially, Lemieux has a master’s in knowing how to win. That could be very important to the Sharks, given their history of playoff failures.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, San Jose Sharks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Claude+Lemieux,

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