Kukla's Korner Hockey

Entries with the tag: sergei+gonchar

The Outlook For Pens & B’s Without Gonchar & Savard

by Paul on 10/21/09 at 02:46 PM ET
Comments (1)

from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

And just like that, the picture changed for a pair of Eastern Conference contenders Wednesday with the news the Pittsburgh Penguins had lost their top minute man and the Boston Bruins their top offensive weapon.

But just how badly will the injuries to Pens defenseman Sergei Gonchar (broken wrist) and Bruins center Marc Savard (broken foot), both out four to six weeks, affect each club?

Let’s start with the Penguins. After all, they are the Stanley Cup champions.

Yes, we all know how badly they missed Gonchar last season when the All-Star blueliner missed the first 56 games of the season. They were basically a .500 team and on the playoff bubble. He later returned and the Penguins went on a tear all the way to the Promised Land.

I’m not discounting what the 35-year-old defenseman brings to this team. He’s their best defenseman, their top puck-mover, the key to their transition game, their best defensive shut-down guy, and, of course, their power-play quarterback. But I believe Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski are better equipped to handle some of that load than they were when Gonchar went down in September 2008.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Marc+Savard, Sergei+Gonchar,

Penguins Need More Luck

by Alanah McGinley on 06/01/09 at 03:37 PM ET
Comments (0)

From Dmitry Chesnokov at Yahoo!’s Puck Daddy:

Q. Sergei, can you compare tonight’s game with last night’s?

GONCHAR: In my opinion we did not play bad. Look at the statistics in the regular season and the playoffs. What other team managed to outshoot the Red Wings in a game? We did it yesterday and today. We constantly created scoring chances. It is a different matter that we did not convert. But this is Detroit. You also need luck in addition to playing well against them.

What in your opinion is the main reason for the loss? Just no luck? Or you couldn’t cope with the system Detroit was playing?

Not really, you can play against their system and win. The most important is to finish your chances with goals. It’s not enough just to create opportunities. But I will repeat myself, today they had a little bit more luck than us.

more from Sergei Gonchar plus a couple questions for Evgeni Malkin

Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL Talk, NHL Playoff Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: evgeni+malkin, sergei+gonchar,

Gonchar Could Be Out Several Weeks, His Agent Responds

by Paul on 05/09/09 at 01:55 PM ET
Comments (24)

from Darren Dreger of TSN,

Sources tell TSN Pittsburgh defenceman Sergei Gonchar suffered an apparent knee injury and will miss the next several weeks, perhaps the remainder of the season....

The National Hockey League has ruled out the notion of supplemental discipline which has prompted reaction from Gonchar’s representative, JP Barry.

‘’We now have Exhibit A of the extreme double-standard that exists in the NHL’s approach to discipline. Alex clearly cuts back with his knee after missing his check with devastating results. But of course, because it’s Alex, its all Sergei’s fault,’’ Barry told TSN.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, J.P.+Barry, Sergei+Gonchar,

Ovechkin Says Hit On Gonchar Was An Accident

by Paul on 05/09/09 at 08:07 AM ET
Comments (15)

from Tarik El-Bashir of Capitals Insider at the Washington Post,

Opinions among the media varied regarding Ovechkin’s right knee to right knee hit on Sergei Gonchar at the end of the first period. Gonchar had to be helped off the ice and speculation around here is that it could be serious. We should know more in the morning.

We should also know tomorrow morning whether the league felt the hit warranted a fine or suspension.

“It tried to hit him and he tried to move to his left, and I don’t have time to realize what is going on and I hit [him with] my knee,” Ovechkin said. “It was accident. I’m not the kind of guy who wants to injure a player like this, especially [because] I know Gonch. I tried to hit him with my shoulder and he moved left but his legs were in the same spot.”

A couple of Penguins had a different take on it.

more and Bob McKenzie of TSN doesn’t expect a suspension.  If you missed the hit, watch it here....

added 8:14am, Craig Custance of Sporting News Today says it is hard to imagine the NHL suspending Ovechkin with the Capitals playing their biggest game of the year tonight.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Sergei+Gonchar,

Ovechkin Hit On Gonchar Tonight

by Paul on 05/08/09 at 08:08 PM ET
Comments (24)

Watch the CBC view of the play…

added 8:54pm, via Scott Burnside of ESPN,

...just the replay a couple of times in the press box and it definitely looked like Ovechkin stuck out his knee and took Gonchar knee-on-knee as the Pens defenseman tried to spin away from the Caps star. Now, it’s not quite Bryan Marchment, but it was definitely a dangerous play. And seeing Gonchar writhing on the ice by himself while the play went into the Capitals’ zone on the delayed penalty was pretty scary.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Sergei+Gonchar,

Sergei Gonchar Cleared to Play

by Alanah McGinley on 02/11/09 at 02:12 PM ET
Comments (0)

From Shelly Anderson at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar today received medical clearance to return to the [Penguins} lineup.

Gonchar, the team’s top defenseman and quarterback of the power play, will not play tonight against San Jose. He said he will continue to practice and judge himself day to day to determine when he believes he is ready to return.

continued...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: sergei+gonchar,

Report- Gonchar Out 4-6 Months

by Paul on 09/29/08 at 04:10 PM ET
Comments (8)

from ESPN,

Sergei Gonchar of the Pittsburgh Penguins will mis 4-6 months due to surgery on a dislocated left shoulder, a source told ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun on Monday.

The team is expected to announce Gonchar’s injury status on Tuesday.

continued

added 9/30/08, via the Pittsburgh Penguins,

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his dislocated shoulder Thursday and will be sidelined for four to six months.

UPMC physician Dr. Mark Rodosky will perform the surgery to repair cartilage and ligament damage to his left shoulder.  Gonchar suffered the injury during the first period of the Penguins’ pre-season opener against Tampa Bay on September 20.

“It is always difficult to lose a very talented player and leader for an extended period of time, but we all believe this is the best decision for Sergei,” said Ray Shero, the Penguins’ executive vice president and general manager. “We are confident that he will come back strong after this surgery. In the meantime, we’ll look to our other defensemen to step up in his absence.”

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Sergei+Gonchar,

Decision Time For Gonchar

by Paul on 09/26/08 at 08:53 PM ET
Comments (1)

from the Sporting News Staff,

A Monday meeting will determine whether Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar misses six weeks or six months of the NHL scheduled.

Gonchar, top defenseman and power-play point man for the Penguins, is rehabbing a dislocated left shoulder. The question now is, will surgery be required?

continued

Personally, I would feel more secure with this report if an actual name was used instead of ‘staff’.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Sergei+Gonchar,

Official Gonchar Update

by Paul on 09/24/08 at 07:20 PM ET
Comments (2)

via the Pittsburgh Penguins,

Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar has a dislocated shoulder and will be out of the lineup indefinitely, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.

Gonchar suffered the injury in the pre-season opener against Tampa Bay on Sept. 20.

“Sergei will continue to be evaluated as our team medical personnel consider several treatment options,” Shero said. “In the meantime, we will look for our other defensemen to step up and fill the void created by his absence.”

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Sergei+Gonchar,

Post Game with Crosby and Sykora

by Alanah McGinley on 06/03/08 at 01:41 AM ET
Comments (0)

Transcripts of interviews with Sidney Crosby and Petr Sykora of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Well worth a read. There’s a pizza story in there…

Updated at 2:41am ET: More quotes added from Sergei Gonchar & Petr Sykora

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: petr+sykora, sergei+gonchar, sidney+crosby,

Gonchar Having A Very Good Year

by Paul on 03/30/08 at 08:35 AM ET
Comments (0)

from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal,

Nicklas Lidstrom is going to win his sixth Norris trophy, but Sergei Gonchar may finish in the top three. The Penguins defenceman has been maligned for years for his play away from the puck, but this year he’s been very good. He might deserve more praise than Zdeno Chara in Boston, or Brian Campbell before he was traded from Buffalo to San Jose. “He matches up against the other team’s best players every night. I think his game has gone to another level there,” said Penguins GM Ray Shero

more and other NHL topics…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Sergei+Gonchar,

Evgeni Malkin Conference Call Transcript

by Alanah McGinley on 03/03/08 at 05:29 PM ET
Comments (2)

The NHL provided a media conference call with Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin today. To interpret for Evgeni, Sergei Gonchar joined in on the call. 

Earlier today, Evgeni was named First Star for the month of February after leading the league in scoring with 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 14 games. He currently sits first in overall NHL scoring with 88 points on 37 goals and 51 assists.  The Penguins are tied atop the Eastern Conference standings with Montréal, each with 81 points.

Q. Evgeni, can you tell me if you’re seeing different players checking you than before when Sidney Crosby was playing in terms of like different defensemen against you and different centers playing against you?

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: conference+call, evgeni+malkin, interview, media, sergei+gonchar,

Gonchar Plays Like an All Star, but…

by Alanah McGinley on 11/20/07 at 12:43 AM ET
Comments (3)

From Rob Rossi at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

Gonchar is not listed on its All-Star ballot.  According to a league spokesperson, the hockey operations department has the final decision on the All-Star ballot, which was finalized at the end of October and based on performance from previous seasons.

Gonchar ranked second, eighth, first and second (tied) in scoring by defensemen after each of the past four seasons.

“And I would still definitely say he is underrated,” defenseman Ryan Whitney said. “But players know how good he is, and that is what is important to him.”

Gonchar is the only current defenseman to record at least 50 points in each of the past seven seasons.  He has scored more goals (104) than any defenseman dating to 2000, and his 385 points during that span are second to only Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom, who has 391.

continued...

Rossi also notes that Gonchar currently has 19 points through 20 games this season—tied for first among all NHL defensemen.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: all+star+game, pittsburgh+penguins, sergei+gonchar,

Habs Calling for Rule Change

by Alanah McGinley on 10/30/07 at 12:33 PM ET
Comments (4)

From the CP via TSN,

The Montreal Canadiens are calling for an NHL rule change after defenceman Francis Bouillon suffered a shoulder injury from a hit in the dying seconds of overtime.

The Canadiens feel that Pittsburgh defenceman Sergei Gonchar should not have been allowed to take part in a shootout after he was called for boarding with 1.6 seconds left in the five-minute overtime in Montreal’s 4-3 win over the Penguins on Saturday night.

continued...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL Talk, NHL Business of Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: francis+bouillon, montreal+canadiens, pittsburgh+penguins, sergei+gonchar,