Kukla's Korner

No Yzerman, no how for Red Wings-Leafs Winter Classic alumni game

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

02/09/12 at 08:47 PM ET | Comments (0)

Red Wings legend and Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman supposedly put his skates in his garage shortly after he retired, and hasn’t skated on that cartilage-free right knee since, so as I begin to delve into what’s going to be a late evening’s worth of work relating the MSM’s news from today’s Red Wings-Maple Leafs Winter Classic pressers, let’s get this out of the way: Yzerman does not plan on taking part in the alumni game, as he told MLive’s Ansar Khan...

“It will be a fantastic event with two great organizations at a storied venue. The perfect location and matchup, this is wonderful for the NHL. At this time, I don’t plan on participating in the alumni game but hope to watch the Outdoor Classic on TV.”

And the Detroit News’s Eric Lacy, who reports that Kris Draper—who just happens to be taking part in his first game as a member of the Wings’ Alumni Association this weekend in Muskegon—plans on at least attempting to convince Yzerman to lace up his skates for one more game:

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Red Wings won’t have Howard until after this weekend; Cleary out, too

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

02/09/12 at 08:13 PM ET | Comments (0)

Slightly belated and not-so-super news in the injury department, though it’s not surprising, per MLive’s Ansar Khan: Due to the Wings’ lack of practices and the early 14-day prognoisis for Jimmy Howard’s broken index finger to stabilize, Howard won’t be taking shots until next week—if Holland has his way—and the Wings will be without Danny Cleary’s services for at least the weekend as well:

“It’s a four-to-six week injury to heal, the longer we can wait the less risk you take,’’ Holland said today at Michigan Stadium, during the Winter Classic news conference. “He’s been practicing, it’s really up to him. Does he feel any pain. Probably not this weekend. I’m assuming by next week he’ll be practicing and we’ll see where he’s at.’‘

The soonest Howard is likely to return is Tuesday at home against Dallas. Howard said he is day-to-day.

“Hopefully Friday I’ll be able to take some shots,’’ he said. “Every single day it’s feeling better and better. I can’t stand watching the games. I get too nervous. I can’t wait to get back out there. I just love competing and stopping pucks for the guys.’‘

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Video- Hartnell Celebrates A Goal With A Fight

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/09/12 at 08:10 PM ET | Comments (0)

Both Scott Hartnell and Dion Phaneuf received 5 for fighting and Hartnell also was given 2 for slashing.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Dion+Phaneuf, Scott+Hartnell,

Carolina Will Make A Decision On Ruutu Next Week

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/09/12 at 07:56 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Chip Alexander of Canes Now,

Canes general manager Jim Rutherford said today he has met with forward Tuomo Ruutu to discuss Ruutu’s future with the team, and said a decision should be reached next week.

Rutherford said Ruutu, due to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, expressed a desire to stay with the team.

“These meetings are to see where the player is at, what they think of the team, whether he likes being in the organization, those things,” Rutherford said. “Tuomo is a player we really like, and he said he likes being with the team. That’s an important first step and we had a good meeting.

“The next hurdle may be the bigger hurdle, but at least we know we’re on the same page.”

continued

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  Tags: Tuomo+Ruutu,

A meaningful game vs TOR

Blog: Orange & Black Breakdown By Marc Siciliano

02/09/12 at 07:01 PM ET | Comments (2)

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers have had a relatively timid history in recent memory, but tonight should prove to be a nice change of pace. The Leafs actually have something to play for as the season winds down, and they find themselves well within striking distance of this hot-or-not Flyers squad. With a similar style of play, offense has been the root of success for Toronto – so what will the Flyers have to do to get back into the ‘W’ column tonight?

After you, sir/madam.

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Get The Call Right

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/09/12 at 06:19 PM ET | Comments (1)

from Katie Strang of ESPNNewYork,

New York Rangers coach John Tortorella wants hockey to adopt an NFL-style review system for the last minute of a game, he said in a pregame news conference Thursday.

The Rangers saw their late-game rally fall short in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Devils after a goaltender interference call against them negated what would’ve been the game-tying goal with less than four seconds to play. Tortorella was careful not to link the suggestion with criticism of that particular play—he was fined $30,000 last month for ripping officials after the team’s 3-2 win over the Flyers in the annual Winter Classic—but said he supports a system that would require any questionable call to be reviewed by the league’s nerve center in Toronto in the last minute of regulation.

In the NFL, calls and plays are reviewed “upstairs” in the last two minutes of the game.

“I’m not questioning the call, but it brings up a discussion and I think the NFL gets it right,” Tortorella said before the Rangers hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning at MSG. “In the last two minutes, it’s a booth replay to get the call right. I haven’t thought it all through. But maybe the last minute of an NHL hockey game, get that call right. Maybe you do have to go upstairs and make sure it’s the right call.”

continued

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What Will The Next 24/7 Bring?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/09/12 at 05:34 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Justin Bourne of The Score,

So while there’s bound to be a number of surprises as there have been in the past, there’s also a few things we know we can count on being great, as we knew John Tortorella was going to be.

Here are five of those things:

The coaches: Ron Wilson and Mike Babcock

Get this: when Peter Laviolette was asked who he thought could be the breakout star from a Red Wings/Leafs 24/7 he said….Ron Wilson. Insert Tim Allen question-grunt sound here. (James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail got a number of great quotes from Laviolette on 24/7, which you can read here).

“I know Ron – he’ll have fun with it,” Laviolette said of Wilson, who he has coached with internationally with Team USA. “He’s got a good personality [for the show].

I did not see that coming.

What I DO see coming is the enigma that is Mike Babcock. He’s going to HATE having the cameras in his office, in his dressing room and every way he turns. The man is a serious Canadian beauty who puts hockey ahead of all else (and actually reminds me of a likable Bill Belichick, especially in his preparation).

He’s a great guy who doesn’t reveal his personality much over the course of a season, but I think over those four weeks, we’ll get to see it. If he agrees to go through with it, I can see him ending up pretty high on the list of coaches we’ve seen so far.

more

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Flaming Leapfrog

Blog: All Things Flaming C By Scooter Kelly

02/09/12 at 05:15 PM ET | Comments (0)

The Flaming C of Love is riding the wave of success to the cusp, once again, of playoff relevance. Recent disciplined victories over Chicago and San Jose have put them in an agreeable position. Jarome is afire and Miikka has been pre-Roman Turek-extension magnificent. The victory in San Jose at the Cow Tank (Cow Palace/Shark Tank) last night was his 300th career victory and earned him some post-game wine coolers and Gammeldansk. Leland Irving has been named tonight’s starter versus Phoenix according to DailyFaceOff.com. #34 isn’t much for the party scene, but may have been lured into some celebratory imbibing. Congrats!

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Islanders Need To Keep P.A. Parenteau

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/09/12 at 05:14 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

An amiable sort, Parenteau said he never doubted his ability to contribute at this level, even though his path has been dotted by more than a few road blocks.

“It’s been a long road,” he said. “But I’m a pretty confident guy.”

Obviously getting a chance to play with guys such as John Tavares, also a good friend of Parenteau’s, and Matt Moulson hasn’t hurt.

“When I make a nice play around here, it doesn’t get wasted,” Parenteau said.

Now here’s where it gets interesting for the Isles, who this week signed forward Frans Nielsen to a four-year contract extension worth $11 million. Nielsen has 25 points, or roughly half those collected by Parenteau, who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Sources familiar with the negotiations say that the team has yet to begin discussions about extending Parenteau, but with the Islanders crawling back into the edge of the playoff discussion in the Eastern Conference (they are in 11th place in the conference, nine points back of eighth-place Ottawa with four games in hand), it’s hard to imagine GM Garth Snow won’t make getting Parenteau under contract a top priority. Similarly, it’s hard to imagine Snow letting Parenteau walk away for nothing on July 1.

more plus other hockey notes…

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Islanders | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: P.A.+Parenteau,

Henrik Sedin A Game-Time Decision

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/09/12 at 02:29 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun,

So while the Vancouver Canucks captain is officially “a game-time decision” for tonight’s meeting with the Minnesota Wild, there seems little doubt he will play and his extend his NHL ironman streak to 553 games.

Sedin tested his right ankle at this morning’s game-day skate at the Xcel Energy Center and said it felt better than it did on Wednesday.

A CT scan done on Wednesday showed no evidence of a fracture and Sedin has been assured he cannot further damage his ankle by playing. It is a pain-management issue.

“Like I said, I want to play games,” Sedin said after the team’s morning skate. “That’s No. 1 and if they say it’s not going to get any worse and I’m able to play then I am going to play. That’s my only answer.”

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Henrik+Sedin,

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