Official NHL Thread

[JFC]

DA FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUQ?!?!? 

Ilya Kovalchuk Retires from NHL After 11-Year Career
Ethan Grant | July 11, 2013

After an 11-year career in the National Hockey League, Ilya Kovalchuk has decided to call it quits in North America.

The 30-year-old winger played for the Atlanta Thrashers during the early part of his career before joining the New Jersey Devils in the middle of the 2009-10 NHL season. He will now retire as a Devil in lieu of returning for his 12th professional season.

New Jersey's official Twitter account confirmed the news on Thursday afternoon:
https://twitter.com/NHLDevils/statuses/355410613587025921

The franchise then followed with a press release on its website. Here's the full statement from Kovalchuk himself in that release:

This decision was something I have thought about for a long time going back to the lockout and spending the year in Russia. Though I decided to return this past season, Lou was aware of my desire to go back home and have my family there with me. The most difficult thing for me is to leave the New Jersey Devils, a great organization that I have a lot of respect for, and our fans that have been great to me.

Devils team president, CEO and general manager Lou Lamoriello chimed in with this quote:

After many conversations with Ilya over the past year on his desire to retire from the National Hockey League, Ilya’s decision became official today. On behalf of the entire organization, I wish Ilya and his family all the best in their future endeavors.

Kovalchuk leaves the NHL with 12 years remaining on a landmark 15-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2010. As reported by ESPN.com, Kovalchuk was the biggest prize on the free-agent market that year and stayed with New Jersey after joining the club in a midseason trade with Atlanta earlier that season.

Devils beat reporter Tom Gulitti confirmed that Kovalchuk's contract has been voided:

https://twitter.com/TGfireandice/statuses/355424284723785731

In doing so, the winger leaves $77 million on the table in the NHL. As Renaud Lavoie of RDS said on Twitter, Kovalchuk's decision to leave the Devils likely had nothing to do with money:

https://twitter.com/RenLavoieRDS/statuses/355413350257135616

Former teammate Ray Ferraro, now an analyst for TSN, was another wondering why a 30-year-old player in his prime would leave the game with both a hefty contract and solid future as a player ahead of him:

https://twitter.com/rayferrarotsn/statuses/355410749457313792

The left winger finishes his career with 816 NHL games, averaging a point every game en route to 816 career points (417 goals, 399 assists). He also had 516 career penalty minutes and led the NHL in short-handed goals last year with four.   

Kovalchuk finished in the top 10 in goals scored eight different times during his career, During the 2003-04 campaign, he was first among all players with 41 goals scored. He achieved a career high in goals in two different seasons, scoring 52 at the end of the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons in Atlanta.

The three-time NHL All-Star also led the league in power-play goals in 2005-06 with 27.

He played in just 37 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 NHL season, missing time in March and April with a shoulder injury.

A year removed from losing in the Stanley Cup Final, Kovalchuk and the Devils failed to make the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons.

The contract he signed with New Jersey would have taken him into his 40s, but Kovalchuk is instead walking away from a league that helped make him one of the most consistent scorers in the game for the majority of his professional career.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1701198-ilya-kovalchuk-retires-from-nhl-after-11-year-career




And the official press release from the Devils:

Kovalchuk announces retirement
Thursday, 07.11.2013 / 3:35 PM / News
New Jersey Devils

Newark, NJ – Today, New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk announced his retirement from the National Hockey League.

Statement from New Jersey Devils President/CEO/General Manager Lou Lamoriello:
“After many conversations with Ilya over the past year on his desire to retire from the National Hockey League, Ilya’s decision became official today. On behalf of the entire organization, I wish Ilya and his family all the best in their future endeavors.”

Statement from Ilya Kovalchuk:
“This decision was something I have thought about for a long time going back to the lockout and spending the year in Russia. Though I decided to return this past season, Lou was aware of my desire to go back home and have my family there with me. The most difficult thing for me is to leave the New Jersey Devils, a great organization that I have a lot of respect for, and our fans that have been great to me.”

Kovalchuk played 11 seasons in the NHL, including the last four with New Jersey. He retires with career NHL totals of 417 goals and 399 assists for 816 points with 516 penalty minutes in 816 games.

He added 11 goals and 16 assists in 32 career playoff games. Kovalchuk scored 89 goals and 112 assists for 201 points in 222 games, while adding eight goals and 11 assists in 23 playoff games with the Devils. He was traded to New Jersey by Atlanta on February 4, 2010. He was Atlanta’s first choice, and the first overall selection in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Born April 15, 1983 in Tver, Russia, Kovalchuk represented Russia at three Olympic Winter Games, nine World Championships, one World Junior Championship and the 2004 World Cup.

http://devils.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=677775
 



He's not fully retiring from playing though...

Ilya Kovalchuk will join SKA, could earn $20 million per season: Report
By Greg Wyshynski | Puck Daddy

Ilya Kovalchuk  left $77 million on the table with the New Jersey Devils when he retired from the NHL on Thursday to return to Russia.

According to Pavel Lysenkov of SovSport, Kovalchuk will be making that money up as the premiere star of the KHL – and in short order.

Lysenkov reports that Kovalchuk will be joining SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, the team for which he played during the NHL lockout. There’s where he will “become the most-paid player in the world,” according to SovSport.

How much? He speculates that if it was “a $15-20 million per year (at the taxation in 13%)” it would not be a surprise. (No word if that's on the KHL cap or some of it off the books.)

On top of that, Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov believes SKA could front-load the contract and pay Kovalchuk an enormous sum of money up front.

Keep in mind Alex Radulov – hardly the superstar Kovalchuk is – was making over $9 million per season with CSKA in the KHL.

Know this about Kovalchuk: His close friend is Roman Rotenberg, vice president of marketing at SKA St. Petersburg and the son of Boris Rotenberg, a friend of Vladamir Putin and a billionaire. The Rotenberg family recently bought Jokerit and Hartwall Arena in Finland.

So yeah, Kovy's getting paid.

Lysenkov writes that SKA wanted to announce the deal on Thursday, but the wheels didn't turn fast enough in the NHL for that to happen. SovSport was told back in January that SKA would do anything to bring Kovalchuk back to the KHL. There was even speculation that some Russian oligarchs were talking about buying a share in the Devils just to get Kovalchuk out of his deal and back in Russia.

Devils President Lou Lamoriello stressed that this was “not a decision” made by the Devils, but rather by the player.

The first time Kovalchuk presented the idea to the team was after the lockout ended – a lockout that saw Kovalchuk remain in Russia to play in the KHL All-Star Game. He hadn’t mentioned it again until recently, and then the retirement announcement happened on Thursday.

There were strong rumors that he intended to remain in Russia after the lockout ended.

S/T to Dmitry Chesnokov and Pavel Lysenkov for the info.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/ilya-kovalchuk-join-ska-could-earn-20-million-210237775.html

[JFC]

2013-2014 SCHEDULE IS OUT!!!
http://www.nhl.com/ice/schedulebymonth.htm
 

Hey dai, take a look at who's coming to E-town on opening day!

[JFC]

Well, looks like the ownership-drama in Phoenix has FINALLY been settled. Only took them what, 3, 4 years to do it?

NHL finalizes sale of Phoenix Coyotes - Board approves transaction, securing future of franchise
Monday, 08.05.2013 / 2:48 PM

The NHL announced Monday afternoon the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to a group headed by George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc. The transaction, which closed Monday, was approved by the League's Board of Governors – terminating League ownership of the club.

"The National Hockey League believes in Arizona as an NHL market and that these new owners can provide the Coyotes the opportunity to secure a stable, long-term future in Glendale," Commissioner Gary Bettman said of IceArizona AcquisitionCo., LLC. "We thank Mike Nealy, Don Maloney, Dave Tippett, team captain Shane Doan and all the players and staff for consistently going 'above and beyond' on behalf of the franchise during this long and complex process. We thank the Coyotes' devoted fans for their patient, perseverant support. We are extremely pleased that a positive resolution has been achieved for the fans, the city, the Coyotes and the League."

IceArizona is a group composed of several business leaders from across North America. Renaissance Sports and Entertainment, LLC will act as the managing partner of IceArizona.

"We are extremely pleased to have finalized the transaction with the NHL and to take ownership of the Coyotes franchise," said Gosbee, Chairman and Governor of the Coyotes. "We extend our sincere gratitude to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for their hard work and commitment to the Coyotes franchise and our great fans here in Arizona. We also thank the City Council members and residents of the City of Glendale for their tremendous support. Finally, to our fans and partners in the Valley, thank you for your continued loyalty, commitment and patience for the Coyotes. The future looks bright for our franchise."

"We are thrilled to be taking over a team led by one of the NHL's best general managers in Don Maloney, one of the best coaches in Dave Tippett, and the League's longest serving and most respected captain in Shane Doan," said LeBlanc, Alternate Governor and pending CEO of the franchise. "The Coyotes are here to stay and we will continue to work hard on and off the ice and have a strong presence in our community. Our ultimate goal is to bring a Stanley Cup championship to our tremendously resilient, passionate and dedicated fan base here in the Valley. We have a lot of work to do and we can't wait to get started."

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=679606

[JFC]

Time for a feel-good story.

Matt Duchene helps buy signed Bruins jersey for bullied girl's birthday
By Brian Stubits | August 9, 2013 4:20 pm ET

Here is example No. 1,764 of why hockey players are the best around.

Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene was back in Ontario recently taking part in a charity golf tournament. Already off to a good start on the nice meter. In addition to the golf, such events usually have auctions of memorabilia and other such things to further benefit charity.

That's where the story of Wayde Greer comes in. The father of an 11-year-old girl named Trista had seen his daughter's exhuberance start to diminish as she had become the target of bullying in school. Seeing how Trista is a big Zdeno Chara and Bruins fan, Wayde had his eyes set on a signed Bruins jersey in the auction and rounded up money from family to try and win the jersey in the auction as a birthday present.

It didn't take long for him to realize his $500 wasn't going to be anywhere near enough to win the auction. Enter Duchene. Greer retold the story in a column for the Minden Times.

My $500 maximum was reached within about 48 seconds, I extended myself to $800 (heart pounding), but the Bruins jersey would belong to someone else.

That's OK, I convinced myself, "the cause" ultimately wins. When the bidding reached $1,100 I heard a faint whisper from across the table. "Get it for her," said Duchene. "I've got you covered!" In disbelief, but needing to act fast I accepted the gesture and was promptly handed a microphone by Matt's dad Vinny; $1,300, $1,400, $1,500, I was toe-to-toe with the Warden of the county. Am I dreaming?

At $1,600 Duchene leans across the table. "She has a weak spot, we just have to find it!" he says.

My heart racing and hands shaking I peer across the table and see Matt holding up two digits ... $2,000?

A confident nod from across the table, followed by a reassuring wink from Vince and Chris seals the warden's fate.

"Two thousand dollars," I yell into the microphone. SOLD!

Awesome, simply awesome. It's obviously not something that Duchene had to do but he did it anyway. He made the day for a young girl who needed it. Just look at the picture Greer submitted to the Minden Times.



Obviously Wayde and Trista have a new favorite player in Duchene, no offense to Chara or anything. Rightfully so. That's a story that's going to win over more than two new fans.

Oh and P.S.: Stop bullying.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/23084656/matt-duchene-helps-buy-signed-bruins-jersey-for-bullied-girls-birthday


 

[JFC]

This time...a more relaxed approach to his decision-making........sort of.

Selanne returning to Ducks for 2013-14 season
Friday, 08.30.2013 / 6:20 PM / NHL.com

After watching video of Teemu Selanne's golf game, it's easy to see why he is staying active in the NHL.

In a humorous clip posted on the Anaheim Ducks' website Friday, a frustrated Selanne is seen throwing his golf bag in the water, then swimming after it to retrieve a cell phone. He calls Ducks general manager Bob Murray to let him know he is returning to the team for the 2013-14 season, his 21st in the NHL.

In the video, Selanne said, "I'm coming back. This is it. This is my final one."

"I think it's good for people to know it will be the last one," Selanne said in a conference call Friday. "I haven't said that officially before, and it will be easier for me to take advantage of every day and enjoy. I think it's good for everybody, my family too. They've asked questions over the years, and now it's a very clear situation."

According to the Orange County (Calif.) Register, Selanne signed a one-year, $2 million contract.

"It's great to have Teemu back. He clearly still has passion for the game and can't wait to get started," general manager Bob Murray said in a statement. "We are so pleased that Teemu will end his career where he belongs."

Selanne said conversations with coach Bruce Boudreau about the wing's role on the team helped him make his decision.

"I had a good meeting with Bruce and I'm very happy with how it turned out," Selanne said. "He was very open. I wanted to know how I would fit in his roster, and he said he was expecting a lot from me. Those were good things, and that was the final thing I wanted to hear. …

"I never wanted to get any promises because I know the coach can't really do that," Selanne added. "Obviously, we have a great group of guys. Getting those guys in, I didn't want a situation where we pushed them in no matter what happened.

"It's a competitive situation and everyone has to earn their ice time and power play. I know I can do it. I just needed to be on the same page with the coach. That's what happened. I'm very happy about that."

Selanne, 43 in July, had 12 goals and 12 assists in 46 games last season, and enters 2013-14 with 675 goals and 1,430 points in 1,387 NHL games. He's 11th all-time in goals, six behind No. 10 Jaromir Jagr and 15 behind No. 9 Mario Lemieux. Selanne is 15th all-time in points, 37 behind No. 14 Stan Mikita.

"I have high expectations about myself. I haven't had any numbers, but I know how well I can play," Selanne said. "I don't think anybody can have more expectations for myself than myself. I want to be a big part of it, otherwise I wouldn't have even considered to keep playing. Hopefully the biggest thing for me is staying healthy. That will give me the chance to succeed."

Known as "The Finnish Flash," Selanne has represented his country five times in the Winter Olympics and expressed a desire to make a sixth appearance on that stage for Finland at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

"That's also a big bonus for the next season," Selanne said. "This could be my sixth Olympics, which I'm very proud of. We have a Finnish coach (Erkka Westerlund) who will pick the team, but that's my goal for sure."

The Ducks won the Pacific Division and returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2012-13, but the Detroit Red Wings defeated them in seven games in the first round. Anaheim lost three games in overtime, and Game 7, 3-2 at home.

"If we had gone to the Finals or close, you just leave everything out there, and it would have been a different case," Selanne said. "I really felt, like everybody else in our locker room, that there is unfinished business and we have a better team than this.

"We have so many good things going on right now, and we know we can do better, and that's a main reason why I'm here. I'm still very hungry to win again. We have a good team and a lot of good things going here.

"If we had a bad team and bad season, it would be an easy situation to just say, 'Thanks for everything,' and go on. But I felt we can do better and I can do better, and everybody can do better. There's unfinished business for sure."

Win or lose this season, Selanne said his time in the NHL will be complete.

"There is no handbook about how you're going to feel when you retire," Selanne said. "I've never gotten the feeling that I'm done and this is enough. I'm just waiting for my body and my mind to say, 'I'm done.'

"I've been able to enjoy this game so much that even on the tough nights and days, I still enjoy it. It's going to end somewhere, and I decided now for my family and everybody that it's going to be my last season. That's fair for everybody. But I haven't yet had a moment where I felt, 'This is it.'"

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=681297


TEEMU!! TEEMU!! TEEMU!! TEEMU!! TEEMU!!

[JFC]

Steve Ott unveils Sabres' new third jersey and it's awful
Brian Stubits | September 4, 2013 12:28 pm ET



After a long, long (way too long) wait, the Buffalo Sabres' alternate jersey for the upcoming season has been revealed. We can thank Steve Ott for getting it done. I think.

The day began with the Sabres released another tease of the jersey, something they've been doing all summer. It was hardly revealing.

That got a lot of reaction on Twitter, including from Ott who demanded to see more. Soon enough he began to threaten he would reveal it himself as he got his hands on a sweater. A short while later Ott tweeted out the two pictures above in what became apparent as a designed viral reveal by the franchise. Well done in that regard. That's about the only regard..

Because the jersey is still getting a lot of reaction, just probably not the kind the Sabres were hoping for. Those things are awful. That sweater might surpass the Islanders' third for the worst not only in hockey but in sports. The best way they can be described is that it looks like the knock-off jersey you buy on the discount rack at your local Marshall's or Wal-Mart. What's up with the different color front and back?

Or what about the gray on the ends of the sleeves that run up to the chest? Why is gray being introduced at all? They took the color scheme that the Predators dumped a few years ago and put it into this sweater. Then there's the very subtle "Buffalo" at the top of the crest. Either put the team/city name on the jersey or don't, it's as if they couldn't decide.

I admit I really liked the idea of a gold jersey for the Sabres' third when I heard about it. The execution though? Ugh. A summer of waiting and hyping up the jersey only for that to be the final product? Talk about a letdown.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/23475603/steve-ott-unveils-sabres-new-third-jersey-and-its-awful


After the way that they've been dragging out the teaser pics for this jersey over the last 2-3 months and all the hype they've been trying to drum up for it....what else is there to say but:

[JFC]

This could prove to be an interesting proposal if the league decides to give it a serious look.

Should the NHL Consider Making a Change to 3-on-3 Overtime?
By Nicholas Goss (Featured Columnist) on September 10, 2013

The shootout has been one of the more controversial topics of the NHL landscape since its creation following the 2004-05 lockout.

Deciding games in a team sport with an individual skills competition that uses a scenario that doesn't happen too often during the normal course of play was a horrible idea.

In fact, it was one of the worst changes that the league made after the lockout eight years ago.

This is why a change to the overtime format is needed. One possible tweak would be having a five-minute overtime period of 3-on-3 action if the game remains tied after an extra frame of 4-on-4. If no one scores in both periods, a shootout occurs.

According to ESPN's Craig Custance (paywall warning), there are a few general managers who like the idea of a 3-on-3 overtime format:

In the prospect tournament he runs in Traverse City, Michigan, [Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken] Holland implemented his version of overtime. On Sunday, he and other general managers in the building got to see what it looked like in actual game action for the first time when the Dallas Stars’ prospects beat those from the Minnesota Wild in a shootout that followed the first 3-on-3 overtime session of the tournament.

The reviews of the 3-on-3 hockey were strong.

“It’s awesome. It was fun,” said Wild GM Chuck Fletcher. “Imagine Washington and Pittsburgh with [Sidney] Crosby, [Evgeni] Malkin, [Alex] Ovechkin, [Mike] Green, [Kris] Letang. Every line change is an odd-man rush.”

Bear in mind that he was the GM of the losing team. Other observers were just as enthused. “This has been a good test case,” said Carolina GM Jim Rutherford, who is in favor of the change. “And it looks good.”

A lot of hockey purists may not like the idea of 3-on-3 action in overtime, but it's certainly better than a shootout because the team component of the game is still important.

One of the reasons why the league is unlikely to eliminate the shootout entirely is because it provides so much late-game excitement and allows the sport's most skilled players to show off their amazing talents in a high-pressure spot.

With that said, an argument could be made that a 3-on-3 overtime period, which would result in fast-paced, end-to-end action with lots of scoring chances, would be even more thrilling than a shootout.

Penalties would be interesting in a 3-on-3 format because going down to two skaters isn't an option. One possibility is adding a player to the team that drew a penalty, so instead of a 3-on-2 power-play, it would become a 4-on-3 situation.

Overall, anything to lessen the amount of shootouts would be good for the sport. Since the current overtime format was adopted, more than 10 percent of regular-season games have ended with a shootout.



Adding another overtime period, whether it's 4-on-4 or 3-on-3 action, would likely have a huge impact on the number of shootouts played each season. Too often we see teams play boring, conservative hockey in the final minutes of regulation and overtime to take their chances in the shootout. With two overtime periods instead of one, clubs would have more incentive to score goals and play more aggressively.

One of the league's worst nightmares is a playoff spot being decided by a shootout, and that's exactly what happened on the final day of the 2009-10 season when the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers played a scoreless overtime. The Flyers won the shootout, earned a postseason berth and came within two wins of a Stanley Cup title.

But determining something as serious as a playoff spot should never involve a shootout.

Unfortunately, shootouts don't seem to be going away anytime soon. That's why the next best outcome for fans is to see another period of overtime before a skills competition determines which team gets another tally in the win column.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1768969-should-the-nhl-consider-making-a-change-to-3-on-3-overtime
http://insider.espn.go.com/nhl/blog/_/name/custance_craig/id/9658229/nhl-rules-changed


Personally speaking, I've got bit of a love-hate thing with the idea of the OT shootout. I don't hate it enough to want it completely gone, and as a matter of fact I agree with the fact that it does help maintain excitement/tension in games that go into OT. That being said, I'm still siding with the "old schoolers" who see hockey as a team sport, that should (preferably, IMO) be won with team play. The shootout has enough fans who like it to keep it around, but the idea of first having a 5 minute OT period where it's 4-on-4 , then, if needed, a second 5 minute OT period where it's 3-on-3 makes for really interesting line/group combinations and strategies. The shootout can still be kept and used as a "third level" of OT if the score still remains tied after that.

Anyone else's thoughts?

[daigong]

FINALLY!!!! DROP THE FUCKIN PUCK!!!

Spent last week lining up for 6 hours overnight outside just to get 20-30 bucks off (thx to student discount ) section 200 tickets for Penguins! Rangers! Devils! games, lookin forward to seeing the EAST teams.



How dedicated are you to your team? What's your Stanley Cup Picks! There's no doubt in mind that Oilers gonna make a major push this season!

GO Oilers GO!!

OH! Captain Ference. I like it. In my heart Smyttie, but this makes the most sense cuz he been there done that. I like Dallas Eakins comment that it just ain't the guy who is the best player. Heart and soul, in the community type players. This is like the transitional captain from Lee Fogilin to Gretzky. Wearing Jason Smith's old jersey!!

[JFC]

Tonight

IT BEGINS!!!

I was reading the local paper earlier today, and apparently today is the first time that the present/second incarnation of the Jets have played a game in E-town.

The Oilers host a Winnipeg club for the first time in more than 17 years. In the Jets 2.0 inaugural season, the teams played just once, at the MTS Centre. March 29, 1996 was the last visit by Jets 1.0 for a regular-season game.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/tonight-jets--oilers-225924501.html

GO JETS GO! GO JETS GO!

[Masa]

[JFC]

Last night, both KT and I were all "WTF, Panthers beat Pittsburgh?".



Even more surprising (in a good way, considering their futility over the last few seasons) is that as of this post, the Avalanche has started this season off with 4 straight wins. Whatever Patrick Roy is doing with them right now, no doubt they're hoping it continues to work. 

[Masa]

[JFC]

This news must've spread through E-town like crazy, eh dai? 

Oilers’ Taylor Hall breaks Wayne Gretzky’s 32-year-old team mark
Associated Press | October 17, 2013, 9:49 pm

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall scored two goals just eight seconds apart to break the team mark set by Wayne Gretzky.

The 21-year-old Hall connected at 15:52 of the first period with a wrist shot from the left circle and then knocked a rebound past New York Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov at 16:00 on Thursday night.

Gretzky, the NHL career leader in goals and points, scored two goals in nine seconds against St. Louis on Feb. 18, 1981, in the third period of Edmonton’s 9-2 victory.

Hall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, turned Edmonton’s deficit into a 2-1 lead. He entered play Thursday with only one goal in seven games this season.

FULL ARTICLE LINK (INCLUDES TWITTER PICS/COMMENTS FROM THE GREAT ONE, AS TOLD BY ESPN'S PIERRE LEBRUN) - http://o.canada.com/sports/oilers-taylor-hall-breaks-gretzkys-32-year-old-team-mark/

[THUNDERDUCK]

The Buffalo jerseys couldn't be as bad as the new Stars jerseys.  I HATE the new logo

[JFC]

The Buffalo jerseys couldn't be as bad as the new Stars jerseys.  I HATE the new logo

At least the jerseys now have a proper logo on them. I couldn't stand how the ones they had for the last couple of seasons just said "DALLAS" on the front. It was like they thought that they had to remind everyone in the arena (even at home) where they were from.

Speakin' of the Stars...see the game last night dude?


I kid, I kid...Jets are probably going to get absolutely pasted in Colorado tonight.

[JFC]

Canucks' Sedins sign four-year contract extensions
Friday, 11.01.2013 | By Kevin Woodley - NHL.com Correspondent

VANCOUVER - When Daniel and Henrik Sedin signed appropriately matching four-year, $28-million contract extensions on Friday, it was a chance for teammates to celebrate their offensive brilliance.

For their new coach, John Tortorella, it was also an opportunity to clear up something about the identical twins' reputations.

"What bothers me the most about the reputation of these two guys -- and I am not sure who started it, but our League is so Neanderthal in their thinking that it sticks -- is when they call the Sedins soft," Tortorella said, kicking off an impassioned defense of his top two players. "I've been dying to talk about that. These aren't soft people. These aren't soft players. It [angers me that] the reputation that is still out there, and it is so undeserving and it is so disrespectful."

The Sedin twins, 33, are in the final season of five-year, $30.5 million contracts and would have become unrestricted free agents in July 2014. They are first and second on the franchise's all-time scoring list, but will be 37 years old when their new contracts expire, and have been listening to the criticism - they were once dubbed the "Sedin sisters' by a Vancouver radio personality - since being selected second and third in the 1999 NHL Draft.

"We expected to be on different teams when we got drafted and now we're sitting here 14 years later on the same team and that's unheard of," Henrik said. "It says a lot about this organization. There have been a lot of times they could have maybe gone in a different direction, but they didn't and we are very fortunate to be here."

Tortorella has seen the Sedins up close for only a couple of months, but quickly recognized the abuse they absorb down low.

"They play underneath the hash marks in the tough areas," he said. "Watch how hard they play on the boards, how they protect pucks. You get lost with their skill. You think that's what they are about and you say they're soft people, and it is so wrong."

Mike Gillis had questions of his own about the Sedin twins when he first took over as Vancouver's general manager in 2008, saying at the time he wasn't sure if they were players to build a team around. The Sedins were set to become unrestricted free agents after that 2008-09 season, and it took a last-minute flight to their native Sweden for Gillis to re-sign them to their current contracts.

The negotiation was easier for both sides this time. The talks lasted four months, but Gillis said the only sticking point was the salary cap and ensuring there was enough money left to spend elsewhere.

"It was as smooth as it could have been with players of this profile," Gillis said.

In addition to being the Canucks' captain, Henrik is the franchise's all-time leader in points (810), assists (625), plus/minus (plus-209) and consecutive games played (644), an ironman streak that's second to St. Louis Blues defenseman Jaw Bouwmeester among active players.

Younger (by minutes) brother Daniel, an alternate captain, is second in franchise history in scoring with 773 points. He is Vancouver's all-time leader with 64 game-winning goals and 10 overtime goals.

Henrik won the Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy in 2010 after a career-high 112 points. Daniel won the Art Ross with a career-high 104 points in 2011 and was a finalist for the Hart.

Both are also thriving with increased minutes and added penalty kill duties under Tortorella. Henrik is in the top five in scoring with 18 points and a League-high 15 assists; Daniel isn't far behind his brother with six goals and 15 points in 15 games.

Their uncanny ability to find each other off the rush and while cycling the puck is only one part of the Sedins' offensive artistry.

Three seasons ago they started using intentional icings to create breakaways, with Henrik firing the puck out of his end and off the far boards so it would bounce to a streaking Daniel, often catching the defenseman and goalie by surprise. Even with the addition of no-touch icing this season, they managed to turn the play into a goal against the New Jersey Devils and former teammate Cory Schneider during a recent road trip. The Sedins are also the first to use the slap pass as a set play, with Daniel parked in the slot to redirect a slap shot from Henrik off the half wall on the power play.

"Talking to guys around the League, they are known for the plays they do, and they have invented a few," Ryan Kesler said. "A couple guys I have talked to, their team calls the slap pass the 'Sedin tip' or something like that, so they are well known for creativity."

Gillis knew how hard it would be to replace such players in free agency.

"It would have been impossible," Gillis said. "To find two players in free agency that understand and appreciate what it means to play here in Vancouver and that would be prepared to work with us to try and maintain a really competitive team would be impossible."

Staying competitive was also important to both Sedins.

"We want to win, that's the bottom line," Daniel said. "You realize when you get older your chances are getting slimmer and slimmer. We want to have a good team around us and we have a chance to have a good team around us for a lot of years. That's really important to us, that's the one thing we are looking for, that Stanley Cup."

They came within one game of winning it in 2011, and there has been plenty of talk about the Canucks' window to win closing as the Sedins - and the rest of Vancouver's core group of players - get older. But Gillis and Tortorella see the twins as key to successfully transitioning in younger players during the next few years.

"How they handle themselves, and with some of the kids we're hoping come through, to have them here showing the way as far as the process of being a pro, we couldn't be happier," Tortorella said.

That process includes their work in the community.

Earlier this season their families launched "Sedin Corner" at Rogers Arena for Canucks home games this season. It's a 14-person suite that hosts charities and groups from British Columbia that support children's health and education as well as family wellness. They also made a $1.5 million donation to B.C. Children's Hospital in 2010.

"It is [home]," Daniel said, noting two of his three children have been born in Vancouver. "We've always liked it here and our families love it here and that is a major thing. And to be part of a great team for the next couple of years was the most important thing for us."

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=689523

[JFC]

Can't help but wonder how much the fact that he wasn't able to get a contract with anyone for this season was a factor in this.

Arnott announces retirement after 18 seasons
Tuesday, 11.05.2013 | NHL.com

Jason Arnott, a Stanley Cup champion and veteran of 18 seasons in the NHL, announced his retirement Tuesday.

Arnott, 39, had 417 goals and 938 points in 1,244 games with the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues. He last played in the NHL with the Blues in 2011-12.

He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round (No. 7) of the 1993 NHL Draft.

The highlight of his career came as a member of the Devils when he scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime of the clinching Game 6 in the 2000 Stanley Cup Final against the Stars.

"I would like to thank everyone who helped me throughout my NHL career, including my family, friends, teammates and fans," Arnott said in a statement released by the NHL Players' Association. "Playing in the NHL was my dream and I am very proud and appreciative of the fact I was able to play at the highest level for 19 years with the best players in the world. Each of the teams I played for provided me with great experiences and memories, and our Stanley Cup team in New Jersey certainly stands out among all of them."

As a rookie in 1993-94, Arnott had 33 goals and 68 points to earn NHL All-Rookie Team honors. Arnott reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time with the Oilers in 1996-97 when he had nine points in 12 games. After playing four-plus seasons in Edmonton he was traded to New Jersey on Jan. 4, 1998.

In New Jersey, Arnott helped the Devils reach the Stanley Cup Final twice, winning it in 2000. In those two postseasons Arnott had 16 goals and 35 points in 46 games.

A two-time NHL All-Star (1997, 2008), Arnott finished with 64 game-winning goals and played in 122 NHL playoff games, with 32 goals and 73 points.

He helped Canada win a gold medal at the 1994 IIHF World Championship.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=690122

[JFC]

The Hockey Hall of Fame has announced it's Class of 2013!

Meet the Hall of Fame Class of 2013
Friday, 11.08.2013 | NHL.com Staff

The Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2013 -- Chris Chelios, Scott Niedermayer, Brendan Shanahan, Geraldine Heaney and Fred Shero -- will earn take spot among the game's immortals on Monday, Nov. 11.

NHL.com will have full coverage of the event, including live reports from Toronto from NHL.com Senior Writer Dan Rosen and NHL.com Staff Writer Corey Masisak.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=22473


VIDEO: Hall of Fame inductees receive rings - http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=480022


ENTRY ON THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME SITE - http://www.hhof.com/htmlInduct/ind13menu.shtml

 

[JFC]

The Jets are on a 4-game winning streak.


Wait, really? They are? 

[JFC]

Ted Nolan, Craig Berube to make history with coaching matchup
By Brian Stubits | November 21, 2013 2:32 PM ET

When the Buffalo Sabres meet the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night, it will not only be a matchup of two coaches who took over teams mid-season in the first month and a half but it will also mark an NHL coaching first.

Both Flyers coach Craig Berube and Sabres bench boss Ted Nolan are First Nations men, or of Native descent in American terms. Never before in league history have two First Nations coaches opposed each other in an NHL game. Thursday night's game will change that.

Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News has more:

They are First Nations men, to be precise; that is the correct nomenclature in Canada. Sabres coach Ted Nolan is an Ojibwe from Ontario. Flyers coach Craig Berube is part Cree, and from Alberta.

"It's huge," Nolan said upon his arrival in Philadelphia yesterday. "The significance of it is not really what it means to me, or Craig Berube, but what it means when you think of what our ancestors went through."

"I guess you'd think about it. You'd think there'd be some other Native coach that would've come out by now and been a coach," Berube said. "It's pretty cool."

Indeed it is pretty cool, and a monumental achievement. Peter Dinsdale, chief executive officer of the Assembly of First Nations called the coaches trailblazers.

The NHL has had a fair amount of First Nations players through the years with Fred Sasakamoose becoming the first to play in the NHL 60 years ago and there are a handful of players in the league today with First Nations heritage. Carey Price paid homage to his on a mask last season and of course Ted's son Jordan Nolan plays for the Kings..

It's terrific to see the diversity hitting the coaching ranks too.

FULL ARTICLE LINKS
- http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/24256959/ted-nolan-craig-berube-make-history-with-thursday-coaching-matchup
- http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20131121_An_NHL_first_at_Flyers_vs__Sabres.html