KuklasKorner

General Blogs
KK Hockey	KK Members Blog	Above the Glass
Off the Wire	Puck Stops Here	The Goods on Fantasy Hockey
Cluster Pucks	23 Intently Staring Goalies	Iced Coffey
Puckarinen Hits A Post	Tasca's Take	Puckin' Around With Spector
Northwest Division	Pacific Division	Central Division
Canucks & Beyond	Petshark: Talking Stick	Abel to Yzerman
All Things Flaming C		The Malik Report
The Burgundy Letter		Talk'n Hawks
Oil Patch		The Lorenzi Line
Made in Minnesota
Northeast Division	Atlantic Division	Southeast Division
The Sabres Observer	Goal Line Report	Red & Black Hockey
The Upper Canadien	Devils Advocate	F Street Faithful
	The Islanders Informer	Benny and the Jets
	Orange & Black Breakdown
	From the Point Too

Anyone Want Ethan Moreau?

12/09/11 at 03:11 PM ET | Comments (3)

The Kings are on the ice for practice, but without Ethan Moreau, who was placed on waivers this morning. Moreau also did not play in the third period last night. Otherwise, the top two lines are the same and Willie Mitchell is once again a full participant in practice. Moreau’s presumed removal from the roster tomorrow — teams will have until 9 a.m. Pacific time to put in claims — would clear up a roster spot for (Willie)Mitchell.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Ethan+Moreau,

A lengthy look back at the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl tragedy

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

12/09/11 at 03:09 PM ET | Comments (7)

Sportsnet’s Brett Popplewell wrote a massive article revisiting the tragedy in Yaroslavl which took the lives of former Red Wings assistant coach Brad McCrimmon, defenseman Ruslan Salei and scores of NHL and international players whose untimely passings touched everyone in the hockey world. Popplewell’s article is both excellent and incredibly difficult to read, as it should be:

At 4:05 in the afternoon all but one of the Railway Men were sealed inside an aging plane, staring down an empty runway. In the cabin sat Lokomotiv, the gods of Yaroslavl whose names 600,000 people cheered and cried. Twenty-six hockey players and 11 coaches and staff embarking on a two-hour flight to their season opener in Minsk.

Directly behind the cockpit sat the coaches. There was Brad McCrimmon, the ‘Beast’ from Saskatchewan, one of two men on-board with his name on the Stanley Cup. Still driven by ambition at the age of 52, he had recently left his home in Detroit and crossed the Atlantic to coach this team. And beside him sat his assistant, Igor Korolev, the former Maple Leaf who played for five teams in a 12-year NHL career, back in his homeland but far from his family in Toronto on this, the day after his 41st birthday. Beside him sat his old friend Alexander Karpovtsev, the former Ranger who’d stood by Korolev’s side on his wedding day in Moscow 21 years ago. He was the second man aboard this plane with his name on hockey’s most revered chalice.

Behind the coaches sat the players. Young and old, from the former all-star to the struggling prospect, together they formed one of the strongest teams in the second-best league in the world.

Continue reading, and bring out your Kleenex box…

Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink

Leafs Will Be Just Fine

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/11 at 02:59 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Eric Duhatschek of the Glob and Mail,

So let me get this straight: Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is transferred Friday from one massively profit-driven ownership group – the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan – to another (the unlikely consortium of telecom giants BCE and Rogers) and some immediately conclude that it’ll be a disaster for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ on-ice fortunes. Well, no, we’ll beg to differ.

In today’s NHL, it takes two things to win – good management and a little bit of good luck.

In a salary-capped world, ownership is a neutral factor, unless ownership is unstable and forces its managerial group to operate at a financial disadvantage, by imposing a strict budget on its operations. That was never the case in Toronto under the Teachers’ stewardship and it won’t be the case in Toronto under the new BCE-Rogers umbrella either.

continued plus additional NHL topics…

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

I NOW Consider Daniel Alfredsson A Hall Of Famer

Blog: The Puck Stops Here By PuckStopsHere

12/09/11 at 02:30 PM ET | Comments (16)

One longterm question that I like to think about is which current NHL players will make the Hockey Hall of Fame and at which point in their career have they cemented that honor regardless of what happens in the remainder of their career. I think Daniel Alfredsson has recently surpassed this threshold.

Alfredsson is the first line right winger with the Ottawa Senators. He currently has a respectable 16 points in 23 games played at age 38 (two days before his 39th birthday). He is a good player well past his prime years. If the All Star voting ended today, he would be voted a starter in the game this year. That is not to say that he is one of the best three forwards who would deserve that position based on his current play, but based upon nostalgia he is a compelling pick.

Filed in: | The Puck Stops Here | Permalink
Tags: Daniel+Alfredsson, Ottawa+Senators,

Daniel Paille Out With Concussion

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/11 at 02:30 PM ET | Comments (0)

via the Bruins Blog at the Boston Globe,

“He’s going to be out for the time being,” Julien said. “They think it’s a mild concussion, but again, you never know. We’ll take it day by day. He’s feeling a little better today, which is always good news to hear.”

Paille suffered the head injury on a hit from Krystofer Barch in the first period of the loss to the Panthers. Barch was penalized for charging on the play, but Julien said after the game he didn’t think Barch’s hit was dirty.

“It was a clean hit,” Julien said Thursday. “I think it was just how he ended up going down, I guess, or whether it looked like there was almost helmet-to-helmet collision there in slow-motion.”

You can watch the hit below…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Daniel+Paille,

Hawks in O.T. Win

Blog: Talk'n Hawks By Vince Maranto

12/09/11 at 02:05 PM ET | Comments (0)

It was kind of weird playing the same Eastern Conference opponent twice in 7 days. This time, the Hawks traveled to New York to face off against the Islanders. Entering the contest, a couple of things stood out. Toews was on top of the leader board in the NHL in goals. Kane, who recently rejoined the Hawks Captain on the first line, was in the top spot in assists. (Again, I like when they are both on the first line together. Finding the other winger seems to be the challenge) For New York, Matt Moulson, the NHL player of the week has been on fire lately. He had at least 1 goal in 5 straight games, including a 4 goal effort against the Stars. In this game, Montoya, 5-3-2, (the Chicago area native) was matched up against Ray Emery (4-1-2). Emery has played well in both his starts and relief appearances the last couple of weeks. Crawford, let’s say, has not fared so well. This is exactly why a solid, experienced back up is a must for a team.

In the 1st period, Dave Bolland got sandwiched in the first 30 seconds of the game and was slow to get up. He did return, but has had a hard time this season recovering from one ailment only to have another one heaped on him. But, as they say, that’s hockey in the NHL. Stalberg started on the first line at the beginning, but was soon sent back down to the 4th, with Carcillo moving up to line one. The Hawks had a Penalty Kill situation (Yay, 29th place @ 75%, no longer in last—small victories) and came up successful. Later in the period, on a Blackhawks Power Play, Hossa became the 85th player to reach the 400 goal plateau! It was a weird centering/passing/bank it in of the goalie from behind the goal line, play. In his own words between the periods, “Not a pretty one.”

Filed in: Chicago Blackhawks | Talk'n Hawks | Permalink

The One That Got Away

Blog: Goal Line Report By Patrick Hoffman

12/09/11 at 01:23 PM ET | Comments (0)

That is the perfect phrase to describe the New York Rangers’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last night.

The Blueshirts had a 2-1 lead in the third period until former Ranger Dominic Moore tied it up with a shorthanded goal. The club also had several quality scoring opportunities to win the game in regulation and in overtime but unfortunately, were not able to bury their chances.

The team got strong performances from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan McDonagh and Artem Anisimov. Speaking of Anisimov, his goal celebration was completely unnecessary. Yes, it was a great goal but there is no need to taunt or show off. That kind of stuff is just not needed in the NHL and should be saved for the NFL and NBA.

Luckily, the team will be able to quickly forget about this game as they have two tough tilts on tap for this weekend. Tomorrow night, the Blueshirts will take on the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo and on Sunday night, will return home to take on the high-flying Florida Panthers.

With four points on the line and no wins in their last two games, this weekend will be the perfect opportunity for the Rangers to get back on right track.

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Buffalo+Sabres, Dan+Girardi, Dominic+Moore, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,

March of the Flameguins?

Blog: All Things Flaming C By Scooter Kelly

12/09/11 at 12:59 PM ET | Comments (0)

If anything can reverse the ailing media of erectdile dysfunction, it’s the sale of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here’s how I would handle such a big sports story- Leafs sold to Bell-Rogers. Expect same on-ice product. In other news, the Flames of Calgary are dominating out west. It must be the center of the Canadian universe that dictates the importance we put on various constitutions, and today was another fine example. Does anyone recall when Jeff Vinik purchased the T.B. Lightning from the Saw franchise owner Oren Koules and Len Barrie? One line at the bottom of the ticker. The only ownership worthy story is when the plucky owners of Ice Edge finally make their emergence known to the NHL ownership secret society…now on the more important issues.

Filed in: | All Things Flaming C | Permalink

Red Wings off-day news: Datsyuk’s taking the day off, Jan Mursak isn’t and the Wings’ PK needs work

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

12/09/11 at 12:55 PM ET | Comments (2)

Updated 10x at 8 PM: The Red Wings are apparently practicing after their 5-2 victory over Phoenix last night, and NHL.com’s Brian Hedger reports that a certain player who suffered a “lower-body injury” on Thursday did indeed earn a little rest, while another skated with the Wings full-out for the first time in a good long while:

No Datsyuk at #Redwings practice today, as expected. Resting lower body injury, which Babcock described as a bump, not a tear.
...
Jan Mursak out on ice practicing for #Redwings as well. First full practice since broken ankle in late Sept.

“More to come,” obviously, as the Wings are getting a noontime practice in before engaging a friendly competition to raise money for the Salvation Army by manning kettles around Metro Detroit.

In the coming events category, via NHL.com and RedWingsFeed, Red Wings player mentor and former defenseman Chris Chelios join the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday in Chicago, and Wings coach Mike Babcock spoke to the Macomb Daily’s Chuck Pleiness about Chelios’s legacy as a Wing:

Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink

Is It All About The Money For New Toronto Ownership Group?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/11 at 12:43 PM ET | Comments (1)

from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,

There was little good news for long-suffering Toronto Maple Leafs fans in Friday’s sale of the majority share in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, unless they happen to own a big chunk of shares in either BCE Inc., or Rogers Communications, Inc.

All of the talk at the press conference announcing the media giants are now partners along with Larry Tanenbaum in the parent company of the NHL team that has not won a championship since 1967 was about words like branding, content and distribution. The Stanley Cup was mentioned but it was almost in passing and only when Nadir Mohamed, the Rogers chief executive officer, or George Cope, his counterpart at BCE, were asked directly about it.

“It’s the perfect marriage of content and distribution,” Mohamed said. “Our goal is to leverage content and distribution. This is having access to iconic content.”

Cope chimed in with, “I am 100 per cent convinced the Bell shareholders will make money on their network investments.”

continued

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

« Previous Next »

About Kukla’s Korner

Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet. We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.

The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here. For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.

Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!

When learning from experts it’s best to learn personally from them, or from their blog. We can provide that with poker lessons blog, your home to learn poker personally.

Do you get shocked from the luck in the game of poker? Stop getting shocked and start being a Poker Shoker.

Free Bet

As well as reading about hockey games, you can also find info about poker like which poker sites accept American Express or which are the best Canadian poker sites and also find the top rakeback sites at rakeback.net.

Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.