Kukla's Korner

Shootouts Goals Versus Threshold

Blog: The Puck Stops Here By PuckStopsHere

09/08/10 at 10:41 PM ET | Comments (0)

The next piece of Tom Awad’s goals versus threshold is to look at shootout performance.  Shootouts play enough of a role in the NHL standings that this is an adjustment to the value of players is often big enough to make a significant difference in their rankings.  This system is one of the few that properly attempts to measure it.

This is one piece of the goals versus threshold system, that goes with the offensive portion, the goaltending portion and the defensive portion.

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Tanguay Entering The Season As A Motivated Man

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/08/10 at 10:06 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

In the NHL, anyone can have a bad season. It happens to journeymen and it happens to the league’s stars – a year when every puck seems to bounce the wrong way, or where every little nagging injury develops into something more. The accumulated effect of such a year on a player can occasionally force some needed introspection. The smart ones go home, crawl under a rock, heal, train harder and prove – to the world – that an off year is just that, a blip on an otherwise successful career trajectory.

Now, two bad years in a row, that’s a different story. Two bad years in a row suggest there may be some erosion in his overall game and that the talent once present is slipping away.

This then is the situation facing Alex Tanguay, one of two new/old players recruited by the Calgary Flames in the off-season.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Calgary Flames | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Alex+Tanguay,

Who’s The #1 Goalie?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/08/10 at 09:39 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,

CHICAGO: Unable because of cap considerations to bring back the Stanley Cup-winning tandem of Antti Niemi and Cristobal Huet, the champs will turn to 35-year-old Marty Turco as their new No. 1 netminder. Turco is coming off two so-so seasons and this is, like Giguere in Toronto, a chance for him to re-establish himself as a top-shelf goalie. Like Gustavsson with the Leafs, Corey Crawford is looking to push Turco.

SAN JOSE: Something about Finnish goalies whose names start with the letter “N” apparently fascinated Sharks GM Doug Wilson. Of course, he was getting rid of a Russian “N” between the pipes in Evgeni Nabokov, bringing in Antero Niittymaki and Niemi to fill the void.

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City Of Glendale May Have To Start Paying The NHL

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/08/10 at 08:44 PM ET | Comments (1)

from Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal,

The clock is ticking yet again on the Phoenix Coyotes.

Sept. 15 is the first day the National Hockey League can start drawing money from the city of Glendale to cover losses and costs for the Phoenix Coyotes until a new owner can be found. The Glendale City Council approved a $25 million fund in May to cover the Coyotes costs and losses starting this month.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Phoenix Coyotes | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Fleischmann Going Nowhere

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/08/10 at 07:10 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Craig Custance of The Sporting News,

Bruce Boudreau expects Tomas Fleischmann to have a breakout season—and he expects it to happen with the Washington Capitals.

Fleischmann, a talented left winger, was the center of trade rumors this summer, but Boudreau said it’s time to end the speculation.

“Oh yeah. Those trade rumors, I think you can faithfully put all of them to bed,” Boudreau told Sporting News. “We laugh at so many of them that have no substance. I don’t know who makes them up. Some people have very vivid imaginations.”

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Washington Capitals | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Tomas+Fleischmann,

Back from the dry cleaner’s, writing my packing list for Traverse City

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By George James Malik

09/08/10 at 06:55 PM ET | Comments (21)

Update time from George.  Barring any complications, I should make the trek to Traverse City sometime on Friday and be at least somewhat settled in by the prospects’ practices on Saturday morning, and I am grateful for and literally indebted to so many of you for your kind contributions that are making my trip possible…

And I honestly have very little idea as to how things will unfold.  From getting my dress clothes pressed at the dry cleaner’s to purchasing my first smart phone, a fancy-schmancy HTC Evo 4G (which I’m still learning how to use--does anybody have some good “app” suggestions?) to trying to figure out how to keep myself fed living on shoestring food budget, and I haven’t planned on spending ten days in a hotel since I went to Germany in high school, so this is a bit of an adventure, to say the least.  Professionally speaking, I’m not sure what form my coverage will take: I’m not quite sure how I’ll format or when I’ll file reports, posts, upload audio interviews, whether the cell phone’s camera is good enough to take pictures, etc. etc.  The Abel to Yzerman and Kukla’s Korner communities have amazingly come together to help me engage in what I can best describe as a, “Go, see, and do” learning experience, and I’ll learn as I go.

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Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
  Tags: I'll+be+moving+here+full-time, Sometime+around+September+15th,

Evening Line

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/08/10 at 06:00 PM ET | Comments (1)

“During the summer you look at teams and Phoenix is a team that I thought maybe would be a good fit for me because of my skill-set.  I’m a good centerman on face-offs and I can handle myself defensively and I’m pretty creative on the power play. Those are things I’m going to try to show them at camp and in exhibition games and make the team.”

Kyle Wellwood who accepted an invitation to Coyotes training camp.  More from Dave Vest of Coyotes.com.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Phoenix Coyotes | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Kyle+Wellwood,

The Dan Ellis Twitter Talk

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/08/10 at 05:44 PM ET | Comments (1)

from Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes,

The Tampa Bay Lightning has no written policy regarding what players can or cannot say on their social media pages or twitter accounts. Safe to assume, though, the team likely will reiterate to goaltender Dan Ellis that he has to be a bit more careful.

Cyberspace went a little bonkers Monday night after Ellis on his twitter account, @33dellis, complained about the 18 percent of salary that, in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, all NHL players lose to escrow, and how, despite signing a two-year, $3 million contract with the Lightning, “I am more stressed about money now than I was in college.” That after last month getting into a debate over how players deserve the money they get because they are “specialists.”

Not only did Ellis’ twitter account light up, but twitter users began a trending topic called DanEllisProblems that mocked him and on Wednesday evening was still a going concern. The Internet was full of commentary, most of it negative.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Dan+Ellis,

Crosby goes Yard at PNC Park

Blog: The Confluence By Tony

09/08/10 at 05:27 PM ET | Comments (6)

Per the Penguins tweet;

A couple #Pens players stopped by PNC Park today. Guess who put one over the fence?

UPDATE: Updated with video, and it was indeed Crosby.  FYI, right field at PNC is 320 feet away with a 21 foot high fence (for Roberto Clemente).  The ball hit the stairway and bounced out of the stadium.  Batting practice or not, that’s a helluva poke for someone who hasn’t played baseball in 10 years.  The other Penguins were forwards Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis, Craig Adams, Mike Rupp, Chris Kunitz and Maxime Talbot, defenseman Paul Martin and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

And please, save the Pirates jokes (trust me, we’ve heard them all).

Filed in: Pittsburgh Penguins | The Confluence | Permalink
  Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,

Robyn Regehr Talks About The Trade Rumors

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/08/10 at 04:33 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Vicki Hall of Flames Insider at the Calgary Herald,

Has he been approached by management to waive his no-movement clause? “I’m not going to get into that,” he said. “That’s just part of sports. That’s the way it is.”

But does he want to leave?

“I would like to win here in Calgary,” he said. “That’s my first option. That always has been. I’ve made that fairly clear not only with talking about it, but also with the actions that I’ve done. Things like re-signing here in Calgary to an extension at the time and not going to the open market.”

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  Tags: Robyn+Regehr,

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