Mike Green of the Washington Capitals says no to the NHL Hall of Fame, who asked for his record setting stick. Green scored goals in 8 consecutive games, an NHL record.
Tampa Bay rookie Steven Stamkos scored his first NHL career hat trick today, but it wasn’t enough as the Lightning went down to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Is this it for Joe Sakic?
Joe Sakic underwent successful surgery on a herniated disc recently and is expected to be out for at least 10 weeks. The question many people have is; is this the end for Joe Sakic? Sean Leahy of the Puck Daddy Blog discusses this today.
Caps coach speaks out on All-Star game representation
Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau doesn’t like the way the All-Star game is run. Greg Wyshynski of the Puck Daddy Blog covers the story on Boudreau and his comments.
Saving the NHL All-Star Game
Apparently the NHL All Stars game is in trouble. It seems every year somebody, somewhere comes up with a number of reasons the ASG is a waste of time. This year it’s been the voting ballot system, and the obvious misrepresentation of “Stars” from the Montreal Canadiens. Craig Custance talks about the ASG and offers a number of ways to help “Save” the game.
Transactions:
Alexander Sulzer (D) Signed 2-year contract with the Nashville Predators
Jordan Staal (C – Pittsburgh) Signed 4-year extension worth $16 million.
Brad May (LW) Traded to Toronto Maple Leafs from Anaheim Ducks for a 2010 conditional 6th round draft pick.
Injuries:
Pascal Leclaire (G – Columbus) IR, out at least a week.
Avery Alert: With so much news surrounding the Sean Avery situation, our new section “Avery Alert” will bring you all the news comments you need in one handy location. Don’t worry though, this section will only last a short time and will stop once we all get sick off hearing about Avery.
Avery to meet with Bettman and the NHL Thursday.
The date of the hearing has been set; this Thursday. Avery will travel to New York to face the NHL. Stars co-GM Brett Hull is said to be traveling with Avery. (The Full Story on TSN)
No Way Out For Avery Ross McKeon of Yahoo! Sports breaks down the Avery situation and explains that there may be no way for Avery to come out of this in a good position. (The Full Story on Yahoo)
Avery Apologises to NHL, Team, Ex’s Avery’s publicist wasted no time in drafting a well written apology. (The Full Story on Yahoo)
NHL Suspends Avery Indefinitely
After making the “sloppy seconds” comment, the NHL quickly jumped in and indefinitely suspended the agitator. (The Full Story on TSN)
News
Fan injured in fall at Senators game
A male fan was injured at Scotiabank Place on Wednesday during the Ottawa Senators’ 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers after falling from the top level of the arena. The man, who Senators president Roy Mlakar stated was not inebriated, originally fell over in row D of the 300 level. He then plummeted into row D of the 200 level, falling on a woman who also sustained injuries. Mlakar believes the man was not seriously hurt. (The Full Story on Yahoo)
Canes Sack Peter Laviolette
Carolina fired Peter Laviolette on Wednesday. The Hurricanes brought back Paul Maurice to take over as coach, and moved assistant general manager Ron Francis behind the bench as Maurice’s associate coach. Laviolette led the team to the 2006 Stanley Cup title. He’s the career victory leader among U.S.-born coaches.
Trades & Transactions:
Anaheim acquired defenseman Logan Stephenson from Phoenix on Wednesday for left wing Joakim Lindstrom. Stephenson will report to Iowa of the AHL.
Injuries:
Brian Rolston (NJ Devils) – Expected back thursday.
Joe Sakic (C – Avalanche) Expected to miss 6 weeks.
Marian Gaborik (Wild) Not yet ready to return.
Rumours & Gossip:
What to do with Avery?
Rumours are ripe that Avery has played his last game in a Stars jersey. If that’s the case, there are a few options the team has, which include: Demoting him to the minors, buying out his contract, looking for a trade, or going through legal channals to void his contract. Either way, if it’s true that Avery is on the out, this could mean a very positive thing for the team.
Havlat on the block?
After recent changes which ended up with Martin Havlat being demoted to the teams 3rd line, speculation suggests the Hawks could be looking to move him at some stage.
Brian Burke says Sundin unlikely to return to the Leafs
In an interview with Brian Burke he announced that if Sundin returns to the NHL he believes he will want to go to a cup contender. “I don’t think we fit the profile he is looking for,” Burke was quoted as saying.
Sharks go 7 straight
The San Jose Sharks continued their domination over the league with their 7th straight win today. Joe Pavelski scored 2 goals in the 3-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
Crosby gets the home trick
Sidney Crosby got a standing ovation today as he scored his first home hat trick in a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Tkachuk hopes to reach milestone Vs Thrashers
Keith Tkachuk is on the cusp of another NHL Milestone. Going into the game against the Thrashers today he sits on 999 points, 1 shy of joining the elite group of 1000+ point players. Doing so will make him just the 72nd player in history to do so.
Trades & Transactions:
Luke Richardson (Ottawa) Retired.
Injuries:
Aaron Ward (D – Boston) left the game today after initiating a hit on Derek Meech and falling to the ice.
Joe Sakic (C – Colorado) will miss the game Vs the Lightning with further back problems.
Sergei Zubov (D – Dallas) unlikely to play against the Oilers today.
Rumours & Gossip:
Changes coming to Dallas?
There have been a number of rumours coming out of Dallas that the co-GM system could soon become a 1 man job again. There is no confirmation as yet but it’s believed Brett Hull could be on the way out.
D Liles takes stick to eye Liles had to leave Saturday’s exhibition game against Los Angeles after taking a stick below the eye, the Denver Post reports. (read more)
Jason Blake leaves game with foot injury Blake left Saturday’s game against Buffalo late in the third period with a foot injury.(read more)
DiPietro to be re-evaluated early next week DiPietro (hip/knee) is slated for re-evaluation in the early part of next week, according to the Islanders’ Blog by Newsday. (read more)
NHL Updates:
Penguins land in Sweden The Pittsburgh Penguins arrived in Sweden after an eight-hour flight from the United States, then hit the practice rink a few hours later Sunday. “It wasn’t too bad,” captain Sidney Crosby said after the workout. “A lot of us have been through similar situations before. You usually don’t expect the sharpest practice, but these guys out there were awake and getting adjusted.” (read more)
Signings & Acquisitions:
Ducks re-sign Teemu Selanne The Anaheim Ducks re-signed right wing Teemu Selanne on Sunday, bringing back the club’s all-time leading scorer for his 16th NHL season. The team did not officially disclose terms of the contract, but the Los Angeles Times reported that the deal is worth $5.25 million over two years. (read more)
Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli “has made it no secret he’d like to acquire another veteran defenseman via trade”. Harris reports of “whispers” Chiarelli might be interested in a major deal for a number one defenseman, although such a move could cost him one or more of their top forwards, although they do have depth and “substantial upside” with several promising young players up front.
Jean Lefebvre reports that when Flames blueliner Adrian Aucoin looks around the dressing room and sees ” eight one-way contracts worth a total of $25 million, he realizes something has to give.” Aucoin admits he’s heard the trade rumors about himself but finds them enjoyable.
Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic dismisses talk that this season could be his last.”Who said this is my last year? I won’t evaluate until the season is over”, said Sakic.
Petr Nedved admits his NHL career is likely over after being cut by the NY Rangers this past week. He has a contract to play for his hometown team in the Czech Extraliga.
Ottawa Senators have signed defenseman Luke Richardson to a one-year, two-way contract.
The answer to whether Joe Sakic would return for another season has finally been answered. The 39-year old captain of the Colorado Avalanche will be returning for another season, his 20th in a long and successful NHL career.
Sakic signed a 1-year $6 Million dollar contract with the Avalanche on Wednesday, ensuring hockey fans will get to see the captain put on the blue and maroon sweater in the 2008-2009 NHL season.
“Ultimately it came down to the fact that I still enjoy playing and competing,” the 39-year-old captain said in a statement released by the team. “I’m comfortable with my conditioning and my overall health. I’m ready for the start of camp and am looking forward to the upcoming season.” - Yahoo! Sports
Sakic has had a successful NHL career, putting together 623 Goals, 1006 Assists for 1629 Points in 1363 games, almost 1.2 points per game.
Coming off a low season where he only dressed for 44 games (13G 27A) due to a sports hernia, Sakic will be hoping to again set himself on pace for a point a game and attempt to lead his team deep into the playoffs.
Click below to view the results of the following games played today:
Washington Capitals @ Philadelphia Flyers
Boston Bruins @ Montreal Canadiens
Anaheim Ducks @ Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild @ Colorado Avalanche
San Jose Sharks @ Calgary Flames Full Story →
In order to view todays game results, please click the more button below. I have this in place in case there are some who do not wish to see the results.
News:
The answer to whether Joe Sakic would return for another season has finally been answered. The 39-year old captain of the Colorado Avalanche will be returning for another season, his 20th in a long and successful NHL career.
