Kukla's Korner Hockey

Tortorella Tells It Like It Is

by Paul on 04/03/09 at 03:03 PM ET
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from Steve Zipay of Blue Notes at Newsday,

“The clouds are following us around, figuratively and literally” said Jim Schoenfeld before he stepped onto the RBC Center ice this morning for a 30-minute practice dominated by power-play drills on both ends of the ice and coach John http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/blog/2009/04/torts_get_job_done_or_were_don.html later calling out his top players to gut it out in the third periods.

“If we don’t,” Tortorella said, “in a week we’re done. We’re done…”

“No one’s off the hook,” Tortorella said after a brief meeting with the team here before leaving for Boston.

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Hicks Denies that Dallas Stars Could be “Repossessed” by Bank

by Alanah McGinley on 04/03/09 at 01:48 PM ET
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Earlier today, a website called FINalternatives reported that “Tom Hicks’ sports team holding company has defaulted on more than $500 million in loans.”

Jim Boardman at Anfield Road provides more info:

The news has clearly come as a surprise to the press in Dallas, who are continuously updating their websites with any information they can get. In The Star Telegram’s report of the story they say Hicks has been in touch by email, denying that the two teams could be repossessed: “There is no possibility of banks owning the teams.”

Hicks said that both the NHL and MLB (the two leagues his Hockey and Baseball teams play in) are helping him to find alternative investment but that he will pay their bills himself in the meantime: “I am working closely with both leagues to find quality partners that share my long term vision of building these two great franchises. I will continue to fund the teams’ operations. I am the largest creditor to HSG and need 51 percent of the banks to agree with my plan.”

Full story here.

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Remembering The Big Fight

by Paul on 04/03/09 at 01:28 PM ET
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from Joe O’Conner of the National Post,

It was not his fault. Not entirely. He did not start it. He was just trying to defend himself from an angry mob of Boston Bruins. They were coming at him in waves: Terrible Teddy Green, Johnny (Pie) McKenzie, Johnny Bucyk and Gerry Cheevers. Everybody. The Boston bench was empty. Even the Bruins fans were coming at him, throwing punches and beers and God knows what else over the glass at the old Boston Garden.

It was hockey mayhem on April 2, 1969. It was the last NHL game Forbes Kennedy would ever play.

continued

added 3:36pm, Thanks to a pointer left in the comments, I have added a video of the start of the incident below…

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL Talk, Old School | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Perry Responds To ‘Crybaby’ Label

by Paul on 04/03/09 at 12:34 PM ET
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from Dan Wood of the Ducks Blog,

Ducks right wing Corey Perry laughed.

He said he hadn’t seen last month’s Yahoo! Sports interview with Evgeni Nabokov in which the San Jose Sharks goaltender called Perry a “crybaby.”

“I don’t even care,” Perry said when relayed the details Thursday night after he had scored the lone shootout goal in a 6-5 Ducks triumph over the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place. “I’m not even listening to that. He can say what he wants. It’s — whatever.”

Perry accused Nabokov of kicking him after play had stopped during a 1-0 Sharks victory March 15 at Honda Center. Nabokov denied it, and the NHL announced no supplementary discipline for either player. Perry had cross-checked the back of a prone Nabokov’s legs before the alleged kicking incident.

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 Tags: Corey+Perry, Evgeni+Nabokov,

Wild Still In The Hunt

by Paul on 04/03/09 at 12:25 PM ET
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from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

The knives are being sharpened in Minnesota these days. The Wild are four points out of playoff spot with five games remaining, including Friday night’s home contest against Calgary. They likely need to win at least four of those to get in.

But the frustration from fans and media in the market is beginning to show. This might be the most interesting offseason in Wild history. But first thing’s first—they’ve still got a shot. They were dynamite in a win at Edmonton last Sunday and got robbed in a 2-1 home loss to Vancouver on Tuesday night. Their level of play is keeping their GM encouraged.

“Even at this late stage, when you’re in our position—out but trying to get in—you still take a lot more comfort in how the team plays,” Doug Risebrough told ESPN.com. “You know time is running out a little bit. But, at the end of the day, you also know that if you ever have a chance, it’s how your team plays. Then you hope the results are there….”

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Ron Wilson Expected To Be Named Coach Of Team USA

by Paul on 04/03/09 at 11:55 AM ET
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from TSN,

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson will be busy during the 2010 Olympic Games.

According to sources, Wilson will be officially named the head coach for the U.S. Men’s Olympic team on Monday.

Wilson, who has a long-standing relationship with USA Hockey, led the team to a gold medal in the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996. He was also coached the team again in 2004.

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 Tags: Ron+Wilson,

Peca In Playoff Mode

by Paul on 04/03/09 at 11:37 AM ET
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from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch,

To say that Peca has been pacing himself wouldn’t be entirely fair. The first 70 games of the season matter, too, and he has been a solid player all season.

But ...

“Sometimes the seasons get really long,” Peca said. “When you can see a light at the end of the tunnel, and you can see the playoffs are right around the corner, my play has always gotten a lot better.

“I’ve always played in climates where the winters are gray and cold. When it starts to clear up a little bit, I tend to play a little better.”

more

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 Tags: Michael+Peca,

The Blues Are A Playoff Team

by Paul on 04/03/09 at 11:09 AM ET
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from Jeff Gordon of Hockey Guy at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

By beating the Red Wings in frantic, hard-fought game Thursday night, the Blues told the world that they are, in fact, a playoff team.

The Blues still must finish well in their final four games, but that 5-4 victory at Detroit was an eye opener for their Western Conference rivals.

The Note had just suffered a tough loss at Chicago. The Red Wings had owned them all season. Detroit coach Mike Babcock leaned on his team, putting great focus on this game.

Everything was stacked against Andy Murray’s squad. The Blues even lost key center Patrik Berglund to injury during the game.

But the Blues won anyway, leaving the Red Wings muttering to themselves.

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It’s All About The ‘Shake’

by Paul on 04/03/09 at 10:23 AM ET
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from Steve Gorten of the Sun-Sentinel,

His portable lab, which goes everywhere Panthers players do, is a trunk about three feet high and two feet wide—with wheels.

That helps because it’s heavy.

Andy O’Brien, the team’s strength and conditioning coach, keeps everything inside the trunk he needs to make his super shakes—different types of proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins and herbal supplements in abundant supply.

When he’s done mixing, usually with water and/or Gatorade—the latter adds electrolytes and improves the taste—players have funky-colored concoctions to drink, usually after games and practices.

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Oilers Owner- MacTavish Not Going Anywhere

by Paul on 04/03/09 at 09:44 AM ET
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from Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal,

So the owner has said Craig MacTavish isn’t going anywhere.

That’s not exactly the way to quiet the growing Oilers crisis, it’s the underlying problem. He’s not likely going to the NHL playoffs. Neither is his team. Again. Many Oilers fans knew it even before their local heroes fought hard and lost 2-1 to the San Jose Sharks at Rexall Place on Thursday night, they don’t like it and they aren’t afraid to say as much during home games, on call-in radio shows and Internet message boards.

So far, they have not put their money where their mouths are rather than into Oilers tickets, and chances are the joint will be sold out again next year, with or without MacTavish behind the bench, with or without a playoff afterglow.

But the growing cacophony of discontent in fandom and the Edmonton media grew rather more hostile and centred on MacTavish Thursday afternoon and it prompted owner Daryl Katz to issue a cryptic, pre-game vote of confidence for his head coach, via text message to the team’s radio rights holder.

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Update 2:46pm ET: From Mark Spector at Sportsnet.ca, more on Katz—

Well, the first full season under Katz is in the books in Oilerville, and some disturbing signs are beginning to emerge. Missing the playoffs is the least of the problems in Edmonton, as signs of a dysfunctional Oakland Raiders-like organization creep to the fore.

Moves like signing second-line centres to $7-million deals and backing coaches with cryptic text messages, all from a Howard Hughes-like owner who likes to manage his asset, but leaves others to speak to the fans who sell out his building every night.

The guy on the white horse is famously playing favourites, rumoured to be getting waaaay to close to a select few of his players, and has now left the impression that Craig MacTavish will continue as his head coach only because the two families like to spend time together.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Edmonton Oilers | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

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