Kukla's Korner

Hockey Talk

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/13/06 at 08:10 AM ET | Comments (0)

-“The people who decided the (Olympic) schedule made a crazy one,” Koivu said, shaking his head. “I think it’s just insane.”
“We fly to Italy, then play six games in eight days. If they expect us to play at top level for those medal games, well, I think it’s impossible, especially for guys who have been playing a lot for their NHL teams.
“They weren’t thinking ahead when they made the schedule. I understand this is a business for the NHL and team owners, but there are teams battling for playoff spots. A lot of key players are in the Olympics, and they’ll be tired and mentally drained when they get back. Maybe they should have thought a little more carefully about this.”- Montreal Gazette
-When Nashville coach Barry Trotz called Ilya Kovalchuk for an illegal stick earlier in the season, Kovalchuk chucked it to a training staffer in the Atlanta bench before it could be measured and it was never seen again.
So Trotz had a good chuckle when Kovalchuk got dinged for the bad blade twice recently. “Gee, that’s strange. I guess the guy who ran down the hallway wasn’t around.’‘- Edmonton Sun
-So, as the first part of the season concludes, what is the reaction to the “new” NHL? I will give you my brief summary. Goal scoring has to be up. I don’t know the breakdown but if it is a result of more power-play goals, I don’t like it.
Do I think more goals are going in because of the reduction in the size of goalie equipment? No, I don’t. I actually like the shootouts, but I would award a team three points for a win in overtime to give more reward for winning before the shootout. Imagine the shakeup it could cause in playoff races.- Eric Weinrich via Maine Today

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