The Ottawa Senators are keeping Cory Clouston as their head coach, removing his interim tag Wednesday and signing him to a two-year deal.
The 39-year-old Clouston took over the Senators on Feb. 2, when Craig Hartsburg was fired after the team got off to a 17-24-7 start. They’ve been 19-10-3 since then, but will still miss the postseason after 11 straight appearances.
Still, owner Eugene Melnyk and general manager Bryan Murray moved quickly to lock up the architect behind the turnaround.
“Cory’s come in and done a remarkable job,” Murray said during a news conference at Scotiabank Place, where the Senators play their final home game Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils. “He’s made (the players) accountable.”
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)—Marian Gaborik didn’t bite. Given yet another opportunity to expound on his preferred career path beyond this season, Minnesota’s injury-burdened, goal-scoring superstar stayed mum on the subject.
Even with his potentially final home game as a member of the Wild approaching.
“Still playing here,” Gaborik said, laughing, “so obviously we’ll see what’s going to happen down the road. But we’re still in the season right now, so that’s where my head is, that’s where my heart is, and that’s where my focus is.”
CHICAGO (AP)—Rick Nash put Columbus in the playoffs for the first time, and Fedor Tyutin capped the Blue Jackets’ big night with the shootout winner.
After Nash scored a late goal to force overtime and give the Blue Jackets the final point they need to clinch a playoff spot, Tyutin scored the lone goal in the shootout in Columbus’ 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.
Columbus, which entered the NHL in 2000-01, was the only active team that hadn’t made the playoffs. Against Chicago, the Blue Jackets overcame 2-0 and 3-2 deficits.
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.
There were 28 new Hockey videos added to the site today, including game highlights from the days NHL matches, some great fights and a fantastic interview with Alexander Ovechkin (below).
1st Period – 11/8/08: The Washington Capitals beat the New York Rangers 3-1 to remain unbeaten at home. Brooks Laich and Tom Poti scored for the Capitals in the first period.
Ryan Miller (G – Sabres). Miller gets the 2 Minutes Player of the Day after posting his 2nd shutout in as many games. Miller led the Sabres to a 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils today, facing 24 shots on goal.
Stars of the day:
Chris Campoli (D – Islanders) 2G 0A 2Pts
Ryan Miller (G – Sabres)24 shots, 0GA 1.00% SV%
Andrew Ladd (LW – Blackhawks) 2G 1A 3Pts
Patrick Sharp (C – Blackhawks) 2G 1A 3Pts
Stars make more moves:
The Dallas Stars made more moves today to try and fix their woes. Stars co-GMs Brett Hull and Les Jackson signed former Minnesota Wild forward Mark Parrish to a 1-year deal worth $500k (NHL) or $100k (AHL). Parrish, who was bought out by the Wild could bring a scoring touch to a Stars team that has been struggling to find it’s identity.
Senators & Coyotes swap minor leaguers
The Ottawa Senators traded prospect Alexander Nikulin to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Drew Fata on Monday. Nikulin, 23, told the Senators last week that he would return to his native Russia if a deal wasn’t completed. The 6-1, 203-pound center was a fourth-round pick – 122nd overall – by the Senators in the 2004 draft. Nikulin recorded two goals in five games with Binghamton of the American Hockey League this season. In 2007-08, Nikulin had 14 goals and 36 assists in 71 games with Binghamton.
oh, they’re hurt:
Owen Nolan (Wild): Placed on IR with a lower body injury
Marian Gaborik (Wild): Still not ready to return.
Jere Lehtinen (Stars): Questionable for Nov 7 Vs Anaheim
Sergei Zubov (Stars): IR, expected return Nov 7 Vs Anaheim
He shoots… the scores:
Buffalo Sabres 2 – 0 New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders 4 – 3 Columbus Blue Jackets (Overtime)
Jim Vandermeer vs Ryan Carter Nov 2, 2008 Jim Vandermeer vs Ryan Carter from the Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks game on Nov 2, 2008. via http://www.hockeyfights.com
Darren McCarty vs Mike Brown Nov 2, 2008 Darren McCarty vs Mike Brown from the Detroit Red Wings at Vancouver Canucks game on Nov 2, 2008. via http://www.hockeyfights.com
Brodeur Wins # 6 – Thrashers 1 VS Devils 6 – But With A Cost.. November 1, 2008 Devils Beat The Thrashers.. Broduer – 8 More Wins To Goooo… And Bye Bye To Roys Record.. Brodeur – 6 More Shutouts To Go And Bye Bye Sawchuck\’s Record.. Brodeur Was Injured In The Second Period With A Bruised Elbow And Will Miss The Game Against The Sabres On November 3rd..
Wild vs. Coyotes 11/1/08 – Power Play in 3rd and more Power play action with an extra 2 minutes or so until the next whistle after the power play. The Wild ended up getting an ugly goal later in the 3rd period to win 3-2
NHL Brawl – Detroit Red Wings – Colorado Avalanche Rivalry This brawl happened @ March 26th, 1997. 300 Penalty Minutes during the last Period. Enjoy! Due to several “requests”: The Song is called “Hey Man Nice Shot” by Filter. Congrats to the Stanley Cup 2008! The full credits are going to the original author of that video. It´s not MY work! Keep up with your comments!
Investigator: Hockey player had heart problems Alexei Cherepanov had heart problems and probably should not have been allowed to play in a game in which he collapsed and died, a regional investigator suggested Tuesday.
Yulia Zhukova said Cherepanov, who died Monday playing for Avangard Omsk in a Continental Hockey League game outside of Moscow, apparently had chronic ischemia—a medical condition when not enough blood gets to the heart or other organs.
“Checks will be conducted to clarify, in particular, why the sportsman with such an illness went onto the ice,” Zhukova said. (Read the full article)
Injury Updates:
Jason Arnott: Fractured Finger Arnott has a small fracture in one of the fingers on his right hand and will miss the next three games, the Nashville Tennessean reports. (Yahoo! Sports)
Pierre-Marc Bouchard: Scratched With Sore Back Bouchard missed Tuesday’s win over Atlanta with a sore back and will return to Minnesota for an examination, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. (Yahoo! Sports)
Jochen Hecht: Out Two Weeks at Least Hecht will miss at least two weeks after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair an injured finger, the Associated Press reports. (Yahoo! Sports)
Islanders D Martinek out 4-6 weeks New York Islanders defenseman Radek Martinek will be out four to six weeks because of an undisclosed upper body injury sustained in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues, according to a report by the Asbury Park Press on Tuesday. (Yahoo! Sports)
Jere Lehtinen: Nearing Return to the Ice Lehtinen (groin) may participate in the team practice on Tuesday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. (Yahoo! Sports)
Jack Johnson: Out Until After All-Star Break Johnson (shoulder) will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum and isn’t expected back until after the All-Star Game, the LA Times reports. (Yahoo! Sports)
Viktor Kozlov: Leg Injury Kozlov is out for a “couple of weeks” with an undisclosed injury, though it appeared that he injured his left knee in Monday’s win over Vancouver, the Washington Post reports. (Yahoo! Sports)
Daniel Alfredsson: Could Return on Friday Alfredsson (knee) could rejoin Ottawa’s lineup as soon as Friday, reports the Ottawa Citizen. (Yahoo! Sports)
League Updates:
Radulov says he wants to stay in Russia and help grow sport in his country With the NHL and Russia’s new Continental Hockey League in a dispute over Alexander Radulov, the forward says he wants to stay home and help grow the sport of hockey in his own country.
“I returned to Russia not so that I could return again to the NHL but rather to offer all of my efforts and professionalism to the betterment of Russian hockey taking it to a new level,” according to a translation of the letter attributed to Radulov and provided by the KHL.
Radulov wrote the letter to KHL president Alexander Medvedev possibly to end some mixed signals on whether he wanted to return to the NHL. (read the full article)
Red Wings visit White House Less than 24 hours after posting a road victory over Carolina, the Detroit Red Wings traveled north to visit the President.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings on Tuesday visited the White House and were honored by President George W. Bush in a ceremony for the second time.
Bush also paid tribute to Detroit following the club’s championship victory in 2002. (read the full article)
Signings, Transactions & Acquisitions:
Report: Lightning sign D Malik In an effort to beef up their defense, the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday signed blue-liner Marek Malik to a one-year, $1.2 million contract, according to a report by TSN of Canada. (Yahoo! Sports)
Bruins recall D Hunwick, C Sobotka The Boston Bruins dipped into their system for a pair of players Tuesday, recalling defenseman Matt Hunwick and center Vladimir Sobotka from Providence of the American Hockey League. (Yahoo! Sports)
Rangers agree to deal with D Dowzak The New York Rangers on Tuesday agreed to terms with defenseman Tysen Dowzak on a contract. Terms were not disclosed. (Yahoo! Sports)
TIMES ONLINE.COM: Mark Madden reports the Pittsburgh Penguins lack quality wingers for Sidney Crosby’s line and suggests Penguins management should shop center Jordan Staal “sooner, not later”. Madden raises the possibility of Staal perhaps seeing if he’ll receive a lucrative, unmatchable offer sheet from a rival club where he can play as a center rather than a winger, and suggests currently there’s “zero indication” that Staal will re-sign prior to next summer with the Penguins.
VANCOUVER PROVINCE: Jason Botchford reports there’s been a lull in negotiations between Canucks GM Mike Gillis and the agent for the Sedin twins. They are seeking a “no-trade” clause in their new contracts but Botchford suggests they might be willing to give Gillis some wiggle room by seeking a “no-separation” clause, meaning if they’re to be traded they’d be dealt together to the same team. Botchford also reported the Canucks lost blueline speed when Kevin Bieksa went down to a recent injury, forcing them to dress slower defensemen Shane O’Brien and Rob Davison. “When the back end is completely healthy, it’s unlikely both will play in the same game with any degree of regularity” writes Botchford, adding, “So much for those who want Kevin Bieksa traded.”
TORONTO SUN: reports Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher denies internet rumors claiming he’s been talking with the Phoenix Coyotes about acquiring first round picks or that defenseman Ian White might be dealt to the Coyotes.
DENVER POST: Terry Frei reports Colorado Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj must step up his performance to sew up the starting goaltender role with the club. Frei writes the Avs have little choice but to ride out Budaj for a long as possible in part because of their public committment to him and the reality that backup Andrew Raycroft would have to flash back five years to retreive the form of his only elite NHL season. Frei raises the possibility of a trade and the name of Chicago Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.
Pascal Leclaire: Ready to go Leclaire (ankle) returned to practice Tuesday and declared himself ready for the season opener, the Columbus Dispatch reports. (Yahoo! Sports)
League Updates:
Hockey great Bobby Orr revisits pain of many knee surgeries in new TV ad It’s hard not to wince watching Bobby Orr’s latest TV commercial, which highlights the many scars on his knees from the injuries that shortened his Hall of Fame hockey career. “When I first saw it, I thought ‘I’m not going to be a leg model,”’ the former Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks superstar joked in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “I asked my wife what she thought and she was choked up. “There were some tough times, but there were good times, too.” (Yahoo! Sports)
Signings, Transactions & Acquisitions:
Penguins send LW Pesonen, G Curry to minors The Pittsburgh Penguins reached the 23-man roster limit Wednesday by assigning goaltender John Curry and left wing Janne Pesonen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Both players accompanied the Penguins to Stockholm, Sweden for their season-opening, two-game series against the Ottawa Senators but did not appear in either contest. (Yahoo! Sports)
Bruins assign C Sobotka to Providence The Boston Bruins on Wednesday assigned center Vladimir Sobotka to Providence of the American Hockey League. Sobotka scored one goal and added six assists in 48 games with Boston last season. He also notched 10 tallies and 20 points in 18 contests with Providence. (Yahoo! Sports)
Canucks send three forwards down to AHL Veteran Vancouver Canucks forwards Matt Pettinger, Jeff Cowan and Jason Krog were sent down to the American Hockey League after clearing waivers on Wednesday. Pettinger, who has played 354 NHL games over seven seasons and is making US$1.1 million this season and Krog were both sent to Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. Cowan, a tough guy who has played more than 400 NHL games since 2000, was sent to Peoria, the affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. (Yahoo! Sports)
Isles claim C Thompson from Bruins The New York Islanders added a center Wednesday, claiming Nate Thompson off waivers from the Boston Bruins. A sixth-round pick in 2003, Thompson was placed on waivers by Boston on Tuesday. The 24-year-old native of Anchorage, Alaska made his NHL debut with the Bruins in 2006-07, appearing in four games without recording a point. (Yahoo! Sports)
Ducks recall G LeNeveu from minors The Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday recalled goaltender David LeNeveu from Iowa of the American Hockey League. (Yahoo! Sports)
Coyotes demote D Jones, C Murray The Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday demoted a pair of players and placed defenseman Jonas Ahnelov on injured reserve. Defenseman Matt Jones and center Garth Murray were assigned to San Antonio of the American Hockey League by the Coyotes, who trimmed their roster to the 23-man limit for Saturday’s season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. (Yahoo! Sports)
PIONEER PRESS: Tom Powers reports multiple sources claim Marian Gaborik and his agent rejected a ten-year contract offer worth over $8 million per season from the Minnesota Wild. Powers suggests to GM Doug Risebrough that if he can’t re-sign Gaborik soon he needs to trade him fast otherwise the worse it’ll be when he finally does decide to move him.
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports sources claims Senators owner Eugene Melnyk met with former Toronto Maple Leaf Mats Sundin last weekend in Sweden during the Senators weekend games there against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Melnyk apparently told Sundin of the sincerity of GM Bryan Murray’s interest in signing Sundin, who has yet to make a decision as to his future. Garrioch also reports Sundin is rumored unlikely to return to the Maple Leafs if he does decide to return, preferring to sign with a Cup contender.
COURIER POST ONLINE: Chuck Gormley reports Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren spent most of Wednesday shopping around for an experienced defenseman to replace injury blueliner Ryan Parent but had nothing yet to report.
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS: David Pollak reports the Sharks demoted veteran defenseman Kyle McLaren to the minors yesterday after he cleared waivers, being unable to find any interest in him on the trade market. Forward Jeff Friesen meanwhile remains in limbo as he and the club attempt to work out a contract but GM Doug Wilson suggested his status could be resolved soon.
SPORTING NEWS: Craig Custance reports Atlanta Thrashers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec has decided to report to the club’s minor league affiliate.
MIAMI HERALD: George Richards reports the Florida Panthers continue to negotiate a contract with defenseman Jassen Cullimore. If he’s signed fellow blueliner Cory Murphy, who recently cleared waivers, could be a roster casualty.
TAMPA TRIBUNE: Erik Erlendsson reports the Lightning weren’t interested in the defensemen on yesterday’s waiver wire but suggests it’s possible they might claim somebody off re-entry waivers.
DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Mike Heika reports the Stars placed defenseman Doug Janik on waivers, where he was claimed by the Chicago Blackhawks, then re-acquired him via trade, exchanging a conditional seventh round draft pick with the Blackhawks.
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: reports forward Kris Beech has refused to report to the minors and been placed on unconditional waivers, where if he’s unclaimed and fails to report to the minors within two weeks his contract can be terminated.
Matt and the Maven segment from the 2nd intermission of Game 1 against Boston The Bruins would score a goal early in the 3rd to cut the lead in half, but the Devils would hold on for the 2-1 win and take a 1-0 series lead! Clip is (c) Fox Sports NY/MSG+ and the NHL and no copyright infringement is intended against them.
