30 June 2008

[COL] Liles to stay in Denver - HELLS YEAH!

From TSN baby!

Scratch defencemen John-Michael Liles from the list of available free agents.

Sources tell TSN that Liles and the Colorado Avalanche have agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth an average of slightly more than $4 million per year.

Liles was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday. The deal is likely to be formally announced Monday.



So I thought about starting another more generic hockey blog, but y'all talked me out of it. Full NHL talk will stay at FWH!

25 June 2008

It's QO deadline day! [updated 06:55 6/26]

Today's the day we find out what the Free Agent market will look like on Tuesday. Teams must tender qualifying offers to their RFA players in order to retain their rights as of the expiration of their current contract (July 1). Should the team not extend a qualifying offer to their RFA player, the player then becomes UFA, and is free to sign with any team effective July 1.

Here is the list of current RFAs, by team:

Anaheim Ducks
Qualified - Stephen Dixon, Jason King, Drew Miller, Corey Perry, Geoff Platt
Signed - Brian Sutherby
UFAs - Gerald Coleman, Shane Hynes

Atlanta Thrashers
Qualified - Joseph Crabb, Kari Lehtonen, Nathan Oystrick, Brett Sterling
UFA - Guillaume Desbiens

Boston Bruins
Qualified - Johnny Boychuk, Mike Brown, Petteri Nokelainen, Pascal Pelletier, Nate Thompson, Dennis Wideman
UFAs - Chris Collins, Nathan Saunders, T.J. Trevelyan

Buffalo Sabres
All players qualified

Calgary Flames
RFAs - Derek Couture, Cam Cunning, Ryan Donally, Tomi Maki, Adam Pardy, Brandon Prust, Andrei Taratukhin, David Van der Gulik

Carolina Hurricanes
RFAs - Patrick Dwyer, Mark Flood, Tim Gleason, Joe Jensen, Chad Larose, Daniel Manzato, Kevin Nastiuk, Brandon Nolan, Dennis Seidenberg

Chicago Blackhawks
RFAs - Rene Bourque, Martin St. Pierre

Colorado Avalanche
Qualified - Cody McCormick, Cody McLeod, Marek Svatos, Wojtek Wolski
UFAs - Jason Bacashihua, Darcy Campbell, Daniel Dasilva, Philippe Dupuis, Mitch Love, Brad Richardson, Michael Wall, Tyler Weiman

Columbus Blue Jackets
RFAs - Dan Fritsche, Pascal Leclaire, Joakim Lindstrom, Mikko Maenpaa, Marc Methot, Alexandre Picard, Tomas Popperle, Aaron Rome, R.J. Umberger, Clay Wilson

Dallas Stars
RFAs - B.J. Crombeen, Loui Eriksson, Marius Holtet, Vadim Khomitski, Vojtech Polak, Konstantin Pushkarev, Jussi Timonen, Janos Vas, Francis Wathier

Detroit Red Wings
Qualified - Jonathan Ericsson, Valtteri Filppula, Jimmy Howard, Ryan Oulahen, Kyle Quincey
Not Qualified - Francis Lemieux, Logan Koopmans

Edmonton Oilers
RFAs - Jonas Almtorp, Troy Bodie, Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, Glenn Fisher, Jean-Francois Jacques, Fredrik Johansson, T.J. Kemp, Joni Pitkanen, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Jarret Stoll, Zach Stortini

Florida Panthers
Qualified - Jay Bouwmeester, Gregory Campbell, Drew Larman, Martin Lojek, Stefan Meyer, Rostislav Olesz, Anthony Stewart
Not Qualified - Garth Murray,Adam Taylor, Martin Tuma
Waived - Josef Stumpel

Los Angeles Kings
Qualified - Erik Ersberg, Gabe Gauthier, Peter Harrold, Matt Moulson, Patrick O'Sullivan, Joe Piskula,
UFAs - Petr Kanko, Dany Roussin

Minnesota Wild
Qualified - Shawn Belle, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Kurtis Foster, Danny Irmen, Clayton Stoner, Stephane Veilleux
Not Qualified - Miroslav Kopriva
RFAs - Peter Olvecky, John Scott

Montreal Canadiens
Qualified - Josh Gorges, Mikhail Grabovski, Jaroslav Halak, Andrei Kastsitsyn, Corey Locke, Ryan O'Byrne
UFAs - Jimmy Bonneau, Marvin Degon, Janne Lahti

Nashville Predators
Qualified - Matt Ellison, Triston Grant, Kevin Klein, Ville Koistinen, Janne Niskala, Rich Peverley, Oliver Setzinger
UFAs - Brandon Bochenski, Dov Grumet-Morris, John Vigilante

New Jersey Devils
Qualified - David Clarkson, Ivan Khomutov, Olli Malmivaara, Rodney Pelley, Petr Vrana
UFA - Jordan Parise

New York Islanders
Qualified - Luciano Aquino, Sean Bergenheim, Jeremy Colliton, Bruno Gervais, Masi Marjamaki, Michael Mole, Frans Nielsen, Jeff Tambellini, Ben Walter
UFAs - Drew Fata, Aaron Johnson, Steve Regier, Matthew Spiller

New York Rangers
RFAs - Ivan Baranka, Nigel Dawes, Bruce Graham, Josh Gratton, Chris Holt, Hugh Jessiman, Rick Kozak, David Liffiton, Greg Moore, Pierre Parenteau, Fredrik Sjostrom, Matt Zaba

Ottawa Senators
RFAs - Jeff Glass, Joshua Hennessy, Arttu Luttinen, Andrej Meszaros, Antoine Vermette
Waived - Ray Emery

Philadelphia Flyers
RFAs - Rejean Beauchemin, Jeff Carter, Steve Eminger, Nathan Guenin, Martin Houle, Randy Jones, Lars Jonsson, Scott Munroe, Stefan Ruzicka, Patrick Thoresen

Phoenix Coyotes
RFAs - Tyler Redenbach, Cory Urquhart
Qualified - Daniel Carcillo, Matt Jones, Alexei Kaigorodov, Brian McGrattan, Al Montoya, Joel Perrault
UFA - Marcel Hossa

Pittsburgh Penguins
All players qualified

San Jose Sharks
Qualified - Joe Pavelski
RFAs - Riley Armstrong, Ryane Clowe, Christian Ehrhoff, Marcel Goc, Lukas Kaspar, Mike Morris, Dan Spang, Brad Staubitz, Jonathan Tremblay

St. Louis Blues
RFAs - Chris Beckford-Tseu, Francois-Pierre Guenette, Martin Kariya
Qualified - David Backes, Jay McClement, Hannu Toivonen, Jeff Woywitka

Tampa Bay Lightning
RFA - Karl Stewart
Qualified
- Ryan Craig, Justin Fletcher, Jay Rosehill,
RFAs - Jonathan Boutin, Mike Egener, Zbynek Hrdel, Marek Kvapil, Ryan Munce, Mario Scalzo Jr.

Toronto Maple Leafs
RFAs - Reid Cashman, Alex Foster, Chris Harrington, John Mitchell, Ben Ondrus, Jaime Sifers, Matt Stajan
Bought Out - Darcy Tucker

Vancouver Canucks
RFAs - Jozef Balej, Marc-Andre Bernier, Mike Brown, Zack FitzGerald, Colby Genoway, Nathan McIver, Rick Rypien, Ryan Shannon, James Sharrow, Kyle Wellwood

Washington Capitals
Qualified - Eric Fehr, Boyd Gordon, Mike Green, Brooks Laich, Shaone Morrisonn
UFAs - Jameson Hunt, Stephen Werner

23 June 2008

You stay classy, Tampa!

Incoming University of Denver freshman defenseman David Carle, brother of former DU star Matt Carle of the San Jose Sharks, withdrew from the NHL draft after being told by doctors Thursday that he has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart that has been linked to sudden death for athletes.

Agent Kurt Overhardt is David Carle's adviser and informed all NHL teams Friday that David's career was over.

On Saturday, however, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected Carle in the seventh round (203rd overall). Incoming Lightning owner Oren Koules pushed for the team to select Carle. "The kid worked his whole life to be drafted in the NHL, and I didn't see a reason he shouldn't be."

Pick an article to read here. There's 26 to choose from!

21 June 2008

The rest of our new boys

3rd round, #64: Danick PAQUETTE
North American Skater
Right wing. Shoots Right. 6'0", 210 lbs.
Born: Montreal, Quebec, July 17, 1990

Mid-term Ranking: 41
Final Ranking: 45








4th round, #94: Vinny SAPONARI
North American Skater
Right wing. Shoots Right. 6'0", 179 lbs.
Born: Atlanta, Georgia, February 15, 1990 (!!!!!!!!!)

Mid-term Ranking: 122
Final Ranking: 135







5th round, #124:
Nicklas LASU
European Skater
Left wing. Shoots Left. 5'11", 176 lbs.
Born: Molndal, Sweden, September 16, 1989.

Mid-term Ranking: 56
Final Ranking: 31

6th round, #154: Christopher CARROZZI
North American Goaltender
Catches Left. 6'3", 185 lbs.
Born: Ottawa, Ontario, March 2, 1990

Mid-term Ranking: 5
Final Ranking: 10







7th round, #184: Zach REDMOND

North American Skater.
Not ranked
No stats

New Thrashers coach sheds tears after long wait's reward

By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY


New Atlanta Thrashers coach John Anderson paid for his job with minor league toil and celebrated it with tears.

"When Don (Waddell) told me he was offering me the job, I went back to my room and cried." Anderson said.

After 13 years of coaching in the minor leagues, and many nights of wondering whether he would ever receive his opportunity to coach in the NHL, Anderson, 51, is back in the NHL, where he was a 30-goal scorer for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Hartford Whalers in the 1970s and 1980s

"Spending time in the minors not only makes you a better coach, but a better person and when you do get an opportunity like this you are grateful for it and you don't want to dissapoint because people put a lot of faith in you," Anderson said, still sounding emotional the day after learning he was being promoted from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League to the NHL.

Although Waddell considered hiring former NHL coaches, such as Paul Maurice and Mike Sullivan, he decided to go with the fresh face with considerable minor league success. He recently led the Wolves to the Calder Cup championships, his fourth title. He also had a .688 career winning percentage.

"His track record for winning is remarkable," Waddell said. "And I talked to a lot of players in this process, and they say great things about him. (Atlanta goalie) Kari Lehtonen just sent me a text to say he is so happy to have John as coach. He treats them like men. It's fun to come to the rink."

In recent years, NHL general managers have started to move away a bit from the recycling of former NHL coaches to giving successful AHL coaches a chance. The success of AHL alumnus Bruce Boudreau in Washington this season certainly helped pave the way for Anderson. This season's and last season's Stanley Cup champion coaches — Detroit's Mike Babcock and Anaheim's Randy Carlyle — both served an apprenticeship in the AHL, coaching against Anderson.

"It certaintly didn't hurt the situation," Waddell said. "Somewhere along the line these coaches got an opportunity. But John didn't get this job because he was our farm team coach. He got it because of the success he had."

Anderson, 51, is a close friend of Boudreau. "Bruce did a superhuman job down there, but it was surprising that it had to come to that for coaches in the American League to be recognized."

In coaching style, Anderson is similar to Boudreau in that he is considered an offensive coach. "We both like attacking," Boudreau said. "I hate sitting back...if you are in the other team's more than they are in yours, that's good defense too."

When Boudreau was hired in Washington, Anderson was among the first to call him. Figuring Washington might make a coach change and seeing a message from Boudreau, Anderson called back and blurted out: "Is this the new coach of the Washington Capitals?"

He reached Boudreau while he was driving to Washington. "And he was almost crying," Anderson recalled.

Years ago, he was interviewed for the San Jose Sharks' head coaching job, and he has also had interviews to be an assistant. But he never got truly close to being hired until the Atlanta situation.

"There are only 30 jobs," Anderson said. "But it is tough when you see guys — like Eddie Olczyk and I love Eddie Olczyk. Great guy — But out of the blue he got a coaching job (in Pittsburgh) and he never coached. It's tough to compete with that.

Anderson is anything but bitter about his lengthy minor league stay. says Anderson: "It was time well spent."

Meet Daultan Leveille


Listen, I want you to remember as you read these articles and snippets, that this kid is a senior in high school. Or just graduated. And is going to MSU in the fall. He passed on major junior so he could go to college. Do not salivate overly much as you read about this guy, because it is very doubtful he will be coming to Atlanta for more than rookie camp. And that's not even in Atlanta! It's in Duluth! So... dream for the future, my friends. We got a great centre for Kovy, who probably won't see the N for 2 years.


Wait nearly over: Leveille heading to Ottawa for NHL draft this weekend (REALLY good article!)

Daultan Leveille's HF profile

Daultan Leveille ends his season with a bang!

Congrats from the Mountainview Falcons

Leveille has emerged as a Golden talent

Leveille's profile on NHLentrydraft2008.com

There are not a lot of articles about Daultan on the web, being that he was definitely a dark horse (1st Jr B player drafted!), so I turned to message boards (which normally I do not do), and there were a lot of good posts about him. Please note, spelling and grammatical errors are left intact. Proper spelling of Leveille's first name is D-A-U-L-T-A-N.

HFBoards:

Wow! Daulton Leveille! I had to double check and make sure that was him. Great kid, good character, an unselfish player. My son and Daulton played on the same line with the Buffalo Prospects a few years back. And Daulton had some serious wheels then. As I recall, his father was one of the coaches, along with Kevin Quick Sr. (as some of you may know - Kevin Jr. was drafted by Tampa). Good to see Daulton doing so well.
---
ive seen him play once and he is a real good player, and also today i was talking to a kid who plays for another team in that league thorold and is preparing to face st. catherines in the finals. he said that leveille is extremely fast and that his first few strides are just crazy. he did however say that he sometimes gets knocked off the puck easily and is gonna have to hit the weight room this offseason, but im sure he will.
---
Daultan Leveille may turn out to be a real sleeper pick for the Spartans. He passed on a spot offered by the 67's this past fall and decided on the NCAA route. ALways skilled but undersized until a growth spurt the past year. He is attracting alot of attention from NHL scouts. 15 teams were present at Monday nights (in March) St Catharines playoff game in which he had 5 points in a 7-3 game. He had 4 points in in a 4-3 game 2 days earlier.

SpartanTailgate:
Daulton Leveille, a forward for St. Catherines (Junior B, GOJHL), is getting a lot of attention as a really good find for MSU hockey; he has a blazing first step as a skater and is a prolific goal-scorer. He has put up incredible multi-point numbers in the Falcons' run through their league's playoffs. In a recent game, there were approximately 15 NHL scouts who witnessed Leveille's overtime game-winner. This could be a two-year player (for MSU) at most, but what a gem - it seems.

DeathValleyDriver:
Daulton Leveille, if he were chosen in the first round would be one of the very few, maybe only, players drafted in the first round out of Junior 'B' hockey.

The300Level:
Here's the latest 'came outta nowhere'...

NHL scouts and management types will tonight be flocking to Thorold, Ont., -- just as they have been for the past couple of weeks to St. Catharines – to get what could be their final look at one of the rising stars of this year's NHL entry draft.

His name is Daultan Leveille, a 17-year-old speedster who plays for the St. Catharines Falcons of the Golden Horseshoe Jr. B League.

A few months ago, the kid who is now being billed as one of the fastest skaters in the draft was barely on the radar screen of most NHL teams, but now he's looking more and more like a solid first-round pick for the 2008 draft.

Leveille is listed at 6-feet, 160 pounds, but has only recently gone through a growth spurt of several inches. That's when pro interest picked up in a big way.

On any given night in St. Catharines recently, scouts from 10 to 15 NHL teams have been there to watch Leveille, who will attend Michigan State University next season.

And Leveille has not disappointed.

In spite of a leg injury that is limiting his explosive speed, Leveille has 12 goals and 28 points in 15 playoff games.

None of the goals were bigger than the game-winner in overtime on Friday night, when the Falcons evened their GHL championship series with Thorold at three games apiece, setting up tonight's Game 7 finish in Thorold.

If the Falcons win this game, NHL scouts will continue to get a good look at Leveille as the winner of tonight's game moves on to the Sutherland Cup round-robin provincial championship for Jr. B teams. But if Thorold should win, Leveille's season will be over.

"He may well be the fastest skater in this year's (NHL) draft," one NHL scout said. "He has a lot of skill. He sort of came out of nowhere and now everyone is rushing to see him."

CalgaryPuck:
Daulton Leveille - He is a small, skilled quarterback on the power-play type player who might be a candidate at any hockey school as the example "how to skate" player; he is a great, fast form skater. He almost single handedly took the St. Catharines Falcons further than a lot of teams would have expected.

Meet Zach Bogosian


Bogosian's highlights:

Bogosian's profile on NHLentrydraft2008.com

Zach Bogosian: The pride of North Country

Bogosian braces for NHL draft

Defencemen define this year's NHL draft crop

Up Close: Zach Bogosian (video)

Bogosian's HF profile

Petes' Bogosian wise beyond his years


by Aaron Bell - NHL.com Correspondent
Nov 28, 2007

Zach Bogosian was rated third among Ontario Hockey League prospects in the NHL Central Scouting preliminary draft rankings released two weeks ago.
Zach Bogosian loves a challenge.

That may explain why he seems to be getting better on a daily basis despite having a very bright spotlight shining on him as one of the top prospects for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The second-year defenseman with the Peterborough Petes was rated third among Ontario Hockey League prospects in the NHL Central Scouting preliminary draft rankings released two weeks ago. He has jumped from early predictions and finds himself behind Steven Stamkos of the Sarnia Sting and Drew Doughty of the Guelph Storm, who many believe will be the top two picks in the draft in June.

But despite his early season accolades, Bogosian hasn’t spent much time reading his own headlines.

“I try not to think about it too much,” said Bogosian, who measures in at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. “I’m just taking things a game at a time and just trying to stay calm out there and do my job.”

Bogosian is far more focused on the fate of his hockey club these days. The Petes have struggled of late, winning just two of their past 15 games.

Bogosian has four goals and leads the Petes with 22 points in 23 games this season and, despite his team’s recent slide, he is on an eight-game point-scoring streak.

“We’ve been down a little bit lately,” said Bogosian, an alternate captain with the Petes and one of the most consistently physical players in the league. “I think we just have to get back to basics – getting pucks deep, finishing our checks and just play simple hockey. If we get back on that track, I think we’ll be all right.”

Bogosian uses his team’s success as a barometer for how he is performing. He thrives on the pressure of shutting down the opposition’s top forwards, including phenom John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals, the Petes’ most ardent rivals.

Bogosian was on the ice for three goals in his first matchup against Oshawa this season. He didn’t take the loss lightly and was responsible for holding Tavares -- the OHL’s scoring leader and reigning player of the year -- to one goal in a recent home-and-home series against the Generals.

“He goes up against the best players on the other teams and he contains the best players in the league,” said Petes coach Vince Malette. “He takes it as a challenge. He wants to shut those guys down and it speaks a lot about Zach’s game defensively. He’s solid defensively, and at the same time he can skate with the puck. He doesn’t lose any speed when he’s handling the puck. He’s good offensively and knows when to jump into the play. He’s got a complete game.”

Malette says Bogosian’s competitive nature separates him from a lot of other players.

“He is very competitive,” Malette said. “When we are in practice and doing drills, he doesn’t want to get beat. He wants to be the best. That’s what defines him. He thrives on competing against the best players in this league.”

While Bogosian loves shutting down the opposition’s best players, it was his offense that helped the Petes snap a lengthy losing streak a couple weeks ago. He scored a power-play goal in the second period that helped the Petes rally from a 3-1 deficit, and then buried the winner in the shootout to push the Petes to a 4-3 win against the Generals. It was Peterborough’s first win in six games.

“I like to throw a little bit of offense in there, too,” said Bogosian, who scored seven goals and 33 points in 67 games as a rookie last season. “But I like to play defense, too. I am a defenseman, so I have to make sure that I take care of my own zone first.”

Bogosian already has had some all-star direction on his play on the blue line.

His agent is Bobby Orr, and Ray Bourque was one of his assistant coaches when he played at Cushing Academy in Boston two years ago. Bourque’s son Ryan also played on that team, and the Hall of Famer shared some tips on playing the position with Bogosian.

“He really helped me out,” Bogosian told the Peterborough Examiner weeks after he was drafted by the Petes in the first round of the OHL Priority Selection draft in 2006. “He’s a great guy and really supportive of all of his players. He’s a great all-around guy. On the ice, you can’t be taught by anybody better. He told me that hard work carries you far and to not stop until you get what you want.”


Bogosian still feels like he has work to do in all areas of his game before he is ready to jump to the next level.
Bogosian grew up in Massena, N.Y., a town of 13,000 that is separated from Eastern Ontario by the St. Lawrence River. Despite the town’s proximity to the Canadian border, Bogosian said that there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for him to develop as an elite player there and he moved to Boston for high school and to play at Cushing Academy with his older brother, Aaron.

“Not a lot of kids play hockey there – it’s a pretty small town,” Bogosian said. “It’s a nice place to grow up – nice and quiet.”

Malette believes that Bogosian’s small-town upbringing helped instill solid values in Bogosian that he benefits from every day.

“He’s very mature away from the rink,” Malette said. “He does all the right things -- he makes sure of what he eats, he gets the proper amount of rest and he works out every day -- he’s religious about it. It doesn’t matter if the team is working out; he’s on his own program to make himself better. He’ll be captain one day here for the Peterborough Petes, but he’ll also be a captain in the NHL one day.”

Despite the high praise from his coach and the scouts that have been watching him, Bogosian still feels like he has work to do in all areas of his game before he is ready to jump to the next level.

“Pretty much everything,” Bogosian said. “Everyone can improve on anything. I’m just coming in every game and trying to keep it simple and taking it a game at a time.”


20 June 2008

08 Entry Draft: Live blogging

I got pulled away, so here's all the picks. And WTF the Flyers traded Umberger?! To Colombus? Seriously are we gonna see Umberger and Malone together? Woooooooow.

7:53 - Commerciallllllllll
7:46 - #4 STL pick Alex Pietrangelo (D)
7:41 - TRADE: MTL's 25th pick and 2nd round 09 pick to Calgary for Alex Tanguay and Calgary's #138 pick
7:38 - #3 ATL pick ZACH BOGOSIAN (D)
7:37 - Why they gotta congratulate the Wings? Fuck the Wings.
7:36 - WADDELL'S UP!!!!!
7:34 - AHHHH COMMERCIAL! WE'RE NEXT!!!!!
7:27 - #2 LAK pick Drew Doughty (D)
7:22 - We're informed Stamkos is the first Macedonian #1 draft pick since Jovanoski
7:19 - #1 TBL pick Steve Stamkos (F)
7:18 - Feaster takes the stage for TBL
7:16 - TRADE: FLA trades Olli Jokinen (F) to PHX for Keith Ballard (D), Nick Boynton (D) and 49th pick
7:15 - It is about damned time. But now Bettman's gonna yap for 10 minutes, even through the boos.
7:13 - Stamkos interview #1
7:13 - Ducks trade down as part of a three-way deal that involved the Kings trading Mike Cammalleri to Calgary.
7:09 - First commercial, no picking action.
7:06 - Talking about the boy I want us to pick, Filatov.
7:00 - Trades and draft orders explained and analysed endlessly.
7:00 - NHL Network stops showing the draft. Because they're clearly insane. Switching to Versus.
6:59 - Eugene Melnyk talks too much and has hand gestures of a politician. Think Bob Dole.

Meet the new coach: John Anderson (Woo!!)

From the very awesome Ben, of Blueland blog:

John Anderson hired as head coach

June 20, 2008 at 1:59PM EST

I spoke to GM Don Waddell about Anderson's hiring about what made him choose Anderson over other candidates and here's what he had to say:

"There's no doubt that we had a great pool of candidates to pick from and John brings a wealth of experience to the table and most importantly he's had great success at every level he has coached. He played 12 years in the National Hockey League and had a great pro career and now we've given him the opportunity to coach the Thrashers. I think it's a great move for our franchise and it puts our franchise in the position to take the next step."

Waddell also sees Anderson's hiring as a sign of maturity for the franchise as it draws from within to hire a coach.

"John's done everything we've asked him to do in the American League by not only winning championships but also by helping to develop some of our key young players," Waddell said. "We see that as a big benefit moving forward as he get a chance to coach some of the players he's had a hand in developing. He's going to get the opportunity to take those players to the next level."

Anderson has worked very closely with many of Atlanta's prospects and has done nothing but win in Chicago since the Wolves became the Thrashers' AHL affiliate. Anderson likes to play up-tempo hockey and wants his players to enjoy coming to the rink every day, whether it's for games or practice. His 800+ games of NHL experience will help him earn the respect of his players as he makes the jump from the AHL to the NHL. Click here for Anderson's playing and coaching stats. Players who played for the Thrashers in 2007-08 and are under contract for next season who have played for Anderson include:

Garnet Exelby
Brad Larsen
Jordan LaVallee
Kari Lehtonen
Bryan Little
Ondrej Pavelec
Jim Slater
Brett Sterling
Colin Stuart
Boris Valabik

John Anderson will be at the draft tonight and will be in Atlanta next week.

**UPDATE**

I just finished speaking to John Anderson a little while ago and he's obviously excited about the job. He's been in pro hockey in one capacity or another for 30 years now and has been coaching for 13 seasons. It's been a long road for him to get back to the NHL and now that he's here he's finding it both overwhelming and exciting.

"When Don offered me the job last night it had been such a long time since I was in the National League that I went up to my room and cried," he said. "I couldn't believe it and I was so excited. My family can't believe it either. They're so excited about going to Atlanta. I can't wait for the future now."

Coming from the Chicago Wolves is certainly going to make the transition easier for the veteran coach as he already has a strong working relationship with many of the players. In addition to all of the guys he's coached in Chicago he has seen many current Thrashers at training camp.

"I've been to the Thrashers training camp the last six years so I know most of the players that are with the Thrashers now, or I at least have a good idea of them, so that will make the transition a lot easier. Plus working for the Thrashers the last six years I have a good relationship with the staff."

Fans will probably wonder what type of hockey they should expect to see in Blueland next season and they're in for a treat. The Wolves played an exciting offensive style in the AHL without sacrificing defense. Chicago scored the most goals in the AHL last season, beating their closest competitor in that department by 20 goals. They also scored 74 more goals than they gave up- tying them for the best GF/GA differential in the AHL. They also scored almost a full goal per game more than they gave up in the Calder Cup playoffs.

"We like to play an attack type game," said Anderson this afternoon. "We don't like to sit back. I will tell you this though- we change our systems throughout a game sometimes and it takes a little while to get all of the sub-systems implemented. But because I've had some of the players already they know some of the thing we do so hopefully that transition will come easier. But it's going to be a lot of hard work in practice though, a lot of positioning and just understanding what I want as a coach."

Anderson will let Don Waddell and his staff put together the roster for next season and then he'll begin the process of teaching his systems to the entire team.

For those who are curious about what all of this means for the Wolves, they will have the final say in hiring their coach but the Thrashers will be consulted during the process. Don Waddell and Kevin Cheveldayoff (Chicago's GM) have a very close working relationship so don't expect there to be any conflicts there.

So.. you decide. New coach or no?

The original report from TSN:

Thrashers hire Anderson as head coach

TSN.ca Staff
6/19/08 11:33:37

The Atlanta Thrashers hired John Anderson as their new head coach on Thursday, promoting him from their American Hockey League affiliate in Chicago.

Anderson has won four minor-league titles as a head coach, including the 2008 Calder Cup with the Wolves earlier this month.

Anderson, 51, also guided the Wolves to the Calder Cup in 2002 and the International Hockey League's Turner Cup in 1998 and 2000.

And the AJC article that followed:

Waddell denies report that Thrashers have hired a coach

By MIKE KNOBLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/19/08

Thrashers general manager Don Waddell denied a Canadian report Thursday night that the team has hired John Anderson as coach.

Sports television network TSN reported, without attribution, on its Web site that the Thrashers had hired Anderson, coach of their top minor-league affiliate, to succeed Bob Hartley, who was fired last October. Waddell coached the rest of the season on an interim basis.

Waddell, through a team spokesman, denied the report. He said earlier Thursday evening in a teleconference with reporters that he was continuing to do "due diligence" in the coach search and that no announcement was likely before tonight's NHL draft.

Anderson, 51, coached the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup last month. The American Hockey League championship was his fourth minor-league championship in 13 seasons as a coach. Anderson played 12 seasons in the NHL.

Anderson did not immediately return a message left on his cell phone

Now listen... I'm not gonna say OMG YES IT'S TRUE or NO WAI! But I got a txt msg at 10:55 last night saying John's the new coach. Source, you know who you are, so feel free to out yourself if you want. Where the source got the 411, I dunno. But why the hell not? Look at the success of Bruce Boudreau. Anderson's on top of the world right now, and he can do a lot for our boys, especially since it's a very similar situation to Boudreau's, where a lot of the guys playing for him, and who will play here next year (Little, Haydar, Sterling) won the Cup with him this year. Frankly, I think it would be a bush league move to not offer the man the job.

So what say you?

19 June 2008

(AJC) Meeting Kari Lehtonen

So listen. This new guy at AJC? Mike Knobler? I can tell already I'm going to love him. Mike, are you reading? Drop a line, bro. Thank you for, thusfar in your short tenure as the guy on the Thrashers' beat, catering to my wishes, and writing about our goalies! Look! More about Kari at the hockey camp!

Meeting Kari Lehtonen

By Mike Knobler | Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 08:13 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, I’ve been covering college athletes for most of my 23 years as a full-time sportswriter, and Kari Lehtonen, 24, is only a year older than a lot of college seniors. But watching Lehtonen work with 7- to 16-year-old goalies at the Thrashers Hockey Camp on Wednesday reminded me of watching Calvin Johnson and others work with kids the week of the 2007 NFL draft. Like those football players, Lehtonen started out a little shy but really got into it.

I was thinking a guy making $2.2 million a year might go through the motions or look bored during two hours on the ice with a bunch of kids. He didn’t. Whether he was bending down to talk to a player whose helmet barely reached Lehtonen’s belly button or discussing technique with high schoolers, Lehtonen kept a smile on his face and stayed fully engaged. Later, he told me it reminded him of the camps he used to go to not that long ago, and he remembered how he felt when in the presence of the top Finnish players back then.

Two pointers, for you goalies out there, overheard from Kari:

  • Keep your stick on the ice.
  • If you’ve dropped to the ice on one side of the net and you need to get to the other, pick up your outside leg first, then drive off it. Don’t get passive and slide, either. Push, and then come to a stop. Oh, and when you drive off your outside leg, twist your body, because your legs will follow.

By the way, if you were expecting a coaching search update here, my apologies. There was no news out at the Thrashers practice facility. Lehtonen had no inside info to share, and nor did camp director Darren Eliot. (Eliot did, though, say he might at some stage be interested in an NHL front office job in a role such as player development. He passed on an opportunity years ago to become an assistant coach with the Penguins … not on the current, Stanley Cup finalist staff.)

Rock on, Mike. But listen, can you throw some photos in with your articles too? Because the copy's brilliant, but a picture does speak a thousand words. kthx! And welcome to the family!

18 June 2008

Lehtonen has few doubts he'll re-sign

By MIKE KNOBLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/19/08

Dante Orlando had made the save of his life, and he knew it.

He skated out of the net, puck in glove and headed straight toward his mom, then tossed the puck over the glass and into family history. The frozen piece of rubber had become a unique souvenir.

After all, how many 8-year-olds have saved a shot from an NHL player?

Dante's save came off not just any NHL player, either. That was Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen standing in the slot and shooting at Dante's net. Pretty cool, huh?

Lehtonen wasn't wearing pads or a mask on Wednesday at the Thrashers Hockey Camp, and he never used his blocker. The most important piece of equipment he brought onto the ice was a smile, and he wore it throughout the two-hour session. Of the approximately 30 campers, the 24-year-old kid with the $2.2 million salary seemed to be having the most fun. He was relentlessly upbeat, on the ice with the kids and off the ice with reporters.

Leave it to others to worry about who will be the next coach of Atlanta's NHL team, or what players the Thrashers will draft this weekend, or which free agents they will sign in July. When asked about those issues, Lehtonen sounded unconcerned. He said it hurt to miss the playoffs, a point driven home when he watched them on TV, but instead of worrying about the things others should do to solve the team's problems he's focused on the one thing he can do: Make himself a better player.

"Nobody knows what's going on [with the coaching search], but that kind of stuff doesn't really bother me so much," he said.

He becomes a restricted free agent July 1 after making $2.2 million last season, but he spoke as if there's no doubt he'll stay with the Thrashers, with whom he has played three full seasons.

"That's the plan," he said. "This is where I want to play. It feels like home."

He added that his agent would speak with Thrashers general manager Don Waddell at the appropriate time.

Waddell, of course, is busy hiring a coach, and Lehtonen wasn't offering any advice on that subject or making any requests through the media (look, if you're referring to my comment before World's, it was in jest, and presumptuous on my part). His answers to two direct questions on the subject:

• He would like a coach who stresses defense over one who favors a game going up and down the ice.

• He would be happy playing for Thrashers associate coach Brad McCrimmon or Chicago Wolves coach John Anderson, both of whom have coached him and both of whom have interviewed for the job.

Lehtonen was the coach Wednesday, and the players were receptive.

"It was pretty cool. He was really patient," said Josh Mangrum, 16, who got advice from Lehtonen about equipment and technique.

It was Lehtonen's first time on the ice in weeks. He has been doing strength training, and he is running 45 minutes to an hour a day. That's the reason for his latest hairstyle, which makes him look like a private on the third day of boot camp. The man who turned heads by dying his hair blue for the 2007 playoffs is making a very different statement with his hair this summer.

Just a reminder! Photos welcome!

One of the hockey campers asked him why he sometimes gets so angry during games. His answer might be welcome for Thrashers fans hoping for bigger things from their still-young netminder.

"When you get a little older," Lehtonen explained, "it gets a little more serious."

And another possibility!

16 June 2008

Heddy re-signs. Not resigns!

Johan Hedberg said at the end of the season that he wanted to return for 2008-09 to help get the Thrashers back on track. His wish was granted as the popular netminder has been re-signed to a multi-year contract according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell.


THE MOOSE WAS NOT SET LOOSE!! WOOOOOO!!!!

13 June 2008

Coach for ATL? Arbitration for Fleury, Malone walking?

Thrashers interested in Sullivan

Lightning assistant coach Mike Sullivan said Friday that the Thrashers have asked to speak to him regarding their head coaching position, and he will pursue that opportunity. Sullivan said Atlanta GM Don Waddell on Thursday requested permission to speak to him from Tampa Bay general manager Jay Feaster.

"I have not spoken with Don in person," Sullivan said. "We have exchanged voice mails."

Sullivan, 40, has been with the Lightning one season and got high marks from players for his communication and technical skills. He worked with the defense and the penalty kill. Sullivan said he took the Tampa Bay job with the understanding that he eventually wanted a head coaching job. He previously coached the Bruins from 2003-06.

That the Lightning fired coach John Tortorella, and apparently is close to naming Barry Melrose the new coach (but not until after the draft), obviously made Sullivan's situation tenuous. He has one year left on his Tampa Bay contract.

"A great experience to have worked with Torts," Sullivan said. "It was an invaluable learning experience."

"I want to be a head coach," Sullivan added. "In the absence of that opportunity, there's not another guy I would want to work for than Torts. I'm certainly grateful to him."





Pens file for arbitration with Fleury

PITTSBURGH - The Penguins made certain goalie Marc-Andre Fleury won't become a restricted free agent July 1, choosing to offer salary arbitration to one of the key players of their Stanley Cup playoff run.

The filing on Friday allows the Penguins to retain Fleury's rights to negotiate a multi-year contract in advance of arbitration hearings, which are scheduled from July 20 until Aug. 4. A hearing won't be held if a contract is worked out before then.

If Fleury had become a restricted free agent, an opposing club potentially could have offered the former No. 1 draft pick such a lucrative contract the Penguins might not have been able to match it because of salary-cap restrictions.

"By filing for salary arbitration, it gives us extra time to continue to negotiate a contract with Marc-Andre," general manager Ray Shero said. "As a result of the filing, Penguins fans are assured that Marc-Andre will be under contract to our club for next season. Marc-Andre has done a tremendous job for us. We remain committed to negotiating a contract with him in the near future."

The 23-year-old Fleury helped lead the Penguins to the 2008 Eastern Conference championship and a berth in the Stanley Cup final against Detroit.

"We understand that Pittsburgh filed for arbitration today with regard to Marc-Andre, which is their right under the CBA," said Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh. "We remain committed towards negotiating a long-term contract with Pittsburgh and will continue working with Penguins management towards that goal."

Fleury was 14-6 with a 1.97 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage and three shutouts during the playoffs.

Ryan Malone to Columbus?

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Ryan Malone is not going to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins, unless the Penguins significantly up their offer. It's looking more and more like the Penguins will get Evgeni Malkin signed to a contract extension and be able to keep right winger Marian Hossa. That will show Malone to the door.

An NHL source said that Malone has been low-balled twice by the Penguins and is ready to leave July 1 as an unrestricted free agent. Malone's rights could be traded before that day, of course, and the Blue Jackets are a likely destination.

The source said the Penguins have already made the Blue Jackets an offer for Malone's rights. Not sure what the offer was, or if the Blue Jackets are still contemplating it. But this could go down pretty quick, folks.

Malone would definitely be happy to play for the Blue Jackets, a source said.

12 June 2008

2008 NHL Awards

Not that any Thrash were up for any...

Hart Trophy (Most Valuable Player)
Jarome Iginla, F, Calgary
Evgeni Malkin, F, Pittsburgh
Alexander Ovechkin, F, Washington

Vezina Trophy (Top Goaltender)
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey
Henrik Lundqvist, N.Y. Rangers
Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose

Norris Trophy (Top Defenseman)
Zdeno Chara, Boston
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit
Dion Phaneuf, Calgary

Calder Trophy (Top Rookie)
Nicklas Backstrom, F, Washington
Patrick Kane, F, Chicago
Jonathon Toews, F, Chicago

Lady Byng Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike)
Pavel Datsyuk, F, Detroit
Jason Pominville, F, Buffalo
Martin St. Louis, F, Tampa Bay

Adams Award (Top Head Coach)
Mike Babcock, Detroit
Guy Carbonneau, Montreal
Bruce Boudreau, Washington <-- They got it right!!!!!

Selke Trophy (Top Defensive Forward)
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit
John Madden, New Jersey
Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit

Masterton Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship and Dedication to Hockey):
Jason Blake, F, Toronto
Chris Chelios, D, Detroit
Fernando Pisani, F, Edmonton

Pearson Award (Most Outstanding Player):
Jarome Iginla, F, Calgary
Evgeni Malkin, F, Pittsburgh
Alexander Ovechkin, F, Washington

Art Ross Trophy (Top Points Scorer)
Alexander Ovechkin, F, Washington

(Rocket) Richard Trophy (Top Goal Scorer)
Alexander Ovechkin, F, Washington

Jennings Trophy (Fewest Goals Allowed)
Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood, Detroit

11 June 2008

Thrashers 2008 Draft Party

Sabres pick up Pirates as their AHL affiliate

Jun 10, 2008, 1:59 PM EDT
The Portland Pirates announced today a new, long-term affiliation agreement with the Buffalo Sabres effective with the 2008-2009 AHL season.

“We are excited to begin our AHL affiliation with the Portland Pirates and the city of Portland,” said Buffalo Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn. “I am looking forward to working with Lyman Bullard, Brian Petrovek and Brian Williams, and the entire Pirates organization. I have been impressed with their professionalism from day one and am excited to build our new relationship both personally and professionally.”

Buffalo becomes the third NHL affiliate in Pirates history. During its five-year affiliation with the Washington Capitals (2000-2005), the Pirates compiled a .535 regular-season winning percentage and made the playoffs three out of the five seasons. During their three-year affiliation with the Anaheim Ducks (2005-2008), the Pirates compiled a .563 regular-season winning percentage and made two Calder Cup playoff appearances, losing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in both the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons. During that time, the Pirates averaged close to 5,000 fans per game and attendance grew by over 15 percent. With their NHL affiliate closer geographically, Portland hopes that its fans will invest in the success of the Sabres and the rivalry between the Boston/Providence Bruins will intensify. Pirates fans will be able to watch the Sabres play divisional opponent Boston six times during the NHL’s regular season, giving fans a closer look at their new NHL affiliate.

Wolves Win the Cup!!!!!!1!1!!!1!ONE!1!


Alpha Wolves: Chicago reclaims Calder Cup
06/10/2008 9:52 PM

ROSEMONT, IL -- Jason Krog’s four-point night included his second hat trick of the post-season and propelled the Chicago Wolves to the American Hockey League’s 2008 Calder Cup championship with a 5-2 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before 9,808 fans at Allstate Arena on Tuesday night.

The Wolves defeated the Penguins four games to two to win their second AHL title and first since 2002.

Krog’s second goal broke a 2-2 deadlock at 4:44 of the third period, and he completed the hat trick at the 15:23 mark.

Krog capped a magical season by winning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs, finishing with 12 goals and a league record-tying 26 assists for 38 points in 24 playoff games. Krog, who won his first championship after reaching the Calder Cup Finals with Bridgeport in 2002 and the Stanley Cup Finals with Anaheim in 2003, was also named the AHL MVP in the regular season after leading the league in goals (39), assists (73) and points (112) in 80 games played.

2007 AHL Rookie of the Year Brett Sterling and 2007 AHL All-Rookie defenseman Nathan Oystrick also scored for the Wolves in Game 6, and Ondrej Pavelec made 25 saves to become the third goaltender in AHL history to win 16 games in a single postseason. Pavelec is the second rookie netminder in as many seasons to hoist the Calder Cup, as Hamilton's Carey Price did the honors in 2007.

Chicago defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski chipped in three assists in the winning effort and finished with 25 points (10-15-25) in this year's Calder Cup Playoffs, third on the Wolves behind Krog's 38 and Darren Haydar's 27 (12-15-27). Haydar, a member of Milwaukee's championship team in 2004, claimed his second Calder Cup title.

Luca Caputi and Mark Ardelan tallied goals to pull the Penguins out of a 2-0 deficit on Tuesday and make it a 2-2 game heading into the third period, setting the stage for Krog’s heroics.

John Anderson becomes the 12th head coach to win more than one Calder Cup championship, leading Chicago to its second title in seven seasons since joining the AHL. The Wolves won the West Division with a record of 53-22-2-3 (111 points) during the regular season, then got past the Milwaukee Admirals (4-2), Rockford IceHogs (4-3) and Toronto Marlies (4-1) before defeating the Penguins in the Finals.

10 June 2008

Mad love for Schrempy from the Freep

Dear Don Waddell,
Sign this guy. Make KLowe an offer he can't refuse. We need this kid. He is one of the greatest guys I know, and will fit nicely in the room. Make it happen. Ilya needs a center.
Not a lot of love right now,
Maali.

Schremp working toward coveted goal -- NHL
By RYAN PYETTE
It's the question he hears most often and the hardest one to answer.

"Why aren't you in the NHL," former London Knights star and 2005-06 Canadian Hockey League scoring champ Rob Schremp said. "I'm asked it all the time. What do you say to that? I don't know. I'm working as hard as I can to get there and stay. We're not all like Sam Gagner and Pat Kane and can make it to the NHL at 18-years-old."

Yesterday, Schremp had a ball glove on and played slo-pitch with the Knights alumni at Labatt Park as part of a tribute to Don Brankley. He handled his old trainer's ceremonial first pitch -- symbolic, perhaps, if you were wondering when the Oilers would let Schremp take the ball, or puck, and run with it.

But the NHL isn't always about talent and hard work. Often, it's about opportunity and being in the right spot at the right time.

Danny Syvret started the season with Schremp in Springfield -- Edmonton's farm club. But the former London captain and CHL defenceman of the year finished up on loan to Hershey before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers this week.

It could be his big break after a few stints with the Oilers. Schremp couldn't have been happier for him -- calling him one of the "best skaters I've ever seen."

"I look at it as a tremendous opportunity," Syvret said. "I figured it might happen but a little closer to the draft (in Ottawa in two weeks). I watched the Flyers this year in the playoffs. It's exciting."

"When I went to Hershey, I played a lot of minutes and got some power-play time. I didn't get that in Springfield. I went to Hershey and it was a lot like London. We would sell out our 11,000-seat arena. The fans don't help you play better but it's nice to be in that environment. When you walk around London, you see people wearing their Knights stuff and it's the same thing there. Everywhere you go, you saw people wearing a Hershey Bears cap, t-shirt or jacket."

Edmonton said Syvret is a good player but didn't fit their plans. Obviously, Schremp still does or he'd have been shipped out, too.

"I made the AHL all-star game, I had a point-a-game this year in Springfield and I was a first-round pick so I know I'm somewhere in the plans," Schremp said. "Every month, (Oilers GM) Kevin Lowe or (vice-president of hockey operations) Kevin Prendergast showed up in Springfield."

Schremp turns 22 next month. He went to California -- not just to hang with Corey Perry on the beach -- but to sweat through the drills of Oilers strength and conditioning consultant Chad Moreau -- the brother of Oilers captain Ethan Moreau.

Knights head coach Dale Hunter has watched him skate during the off-season in London too. He has been impressed.

"Rob is skating hard," he said. "To do it this early shows he's focused. It's a big year for him (the final season of his initial three-year contract) and with his skill, it's only a matter of time. He'll get his chance. Edmonton has a young team, they didn't make the playoffs (last season) and they'll want to make it this year."

At first, most figured the Oilers were trying to teach Schremp a lesson by holding him back. Now, some think he would be better served in a different organization.

Syvret thinks Schremp will be rewarded for his hard work.

"I think he's going to get a good, long look with the Oilers this year," he said.

It can be argued Schremp has proven himself in the minors already.

"The AHL's a good league, there are big guys who are all hungry and it's not easy to get a point a game," Hunter said.

Syvret and Corey Perry live in London in the off-season. When Schremp visits, he works out with them along with trainer Dave Moore.

05 June 2008

It hasn't quite sunk in yet



More later.

04 June 2008

Let's Go Pens

Torts shown the door

Posted: 2008-06-03 16:33:28

TAMPA, Florida (AP) - John Tortorella was fired as coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, four years after leading the team to its only Stanley Cup championship. He had one season remaining on his contract.

The Lightning were 239-36-260 and made the playoffs four times in 6 1/2 seasons under Tortorella.

"This has been a very difficult decision because of everything that John Tortorella has meant to and done for this organization," Lightning general manager Jay Feaster said in a statement.

"Torts came to Tampa and not only built the foundation under our club but he also changed the culture and raised the expectations, eventually leading us to the Stanley Cup in 2004. What he accomplished during his tenure in Tampa was nothing short of remarkable and our organization will always owe him our thanks, gratitude and deep respect."

The firing came as no surprise. There has already been speculation about television analyst and former Los Angeles Kings coach Barry Melrose possibly replacing Tortorella.
Waddell, don't even think about it.

03 June 2008

o. m. f. g.


3 - 4

(3rd OT)

DETROIT – Counted out in many circles after falling behind 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Final, the Pittsburgh Penguins came off the ropes and got off the canvas time and again Monday night to stun the Detroit Red Wings in triple overtime, 4-3, winning Game 5 of the series and forcing a return trip to Pittsburgh for Game 6 Wednesday night.

The game was the fifth longest in Stanley Cup Final history, with overtime lasting 49:57 before Petr Sykora ended it. The longest overtime was 55:13, set on May 15, 1990 when Petr Klima scored to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 win over Boston in Game 1.

Pens coach Michel Therrien said he never doubted his team for a second.

[deletia]

The Penguins were out-shot in the game 58-32 and there were many times when the Red Wings seemed to be just one small push away from toppling the visitors, but the Penguins wouldn't fall, thanks in large part to the play of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who was brilliant in goal.

"He was outstanding tonight," Therrien said of his goalie. "He was outstanding in overtime and both goalies obviously played really well. But no doubt Fleury, probably his most important win in his career."

Listen, kids. I have seen a lot of hockey in my life. I have seen a lot of playoff hockey. I have seen a lot of overtime playoff hockey. But this damned well might be the greatest overtime playoff hockey game I ever fucking saw. And I'd stick by that even if the Pens had lost. BUT THEY DIDN'T!!! Petr Sykora did his best Messier/Babe Ruth (depending on your generation) impression. Who else was watching leading up to the goal thinking, Sykora's on the ice... he called it... he said he'd pot it... will he.... HOLY SHIT HE DID!!!!


BACK TO THE IGLOO BABY!!!!!

Game 6: 6/4/08 @ 8PM EST on NBC