Sharks hire Detroit assistant as new coach

Posted by admin on 12th, 2008

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The San Jose Sharks have hired a new head coach. Todd McLellan, formerly an assistant coach with the Stanley Cup winning Detroit Red Wings will be formerly announced as the new head coach on Thursday.

“It’s a very good feeling,” McLellan said in a statement released by the team. “From the first moment Doug called to the moment he offered the job, I felt comfortable. I think the Sharks have done a tremendous job. You don’t get that close to 50 wins for a number of years in a row without a lot of talent. It’s a matter of getting over the hump. There are some real parallels between the Wings and the Sharks.”
- NHL - Yahoo! Sports

The Sharks hope that McLellan, who has experience with cup winning teams will help take the Sharks all the way.

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Tags: sanjose sharks, detroit red wings, todd mclellan, ron wilson

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8 Games Suspension Not Enough For Pronger

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Posted by admin on 16th, 2008

NHL Disciplinarian Colin Campbell announced today that Chris Pronger of the Anaheim Ducks will receive an 8 game suspension after stomping on the calf of Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler.

“In attempting to free himself, Pronger carelessly and recklessly brought his foot down,” Campbell said in a statement.
- Yahoo! Sport

The suspension has raised an outcry among the public who are shocked to yet again see a double standard from the NHL when it comes to handing out discipline to players.

Earlier this season the NHL suspended Chris Simon for 30 games after he was found guilty of stomping on the ankle of Pittsburgh Penguin Jarkko Ruutu. Does it not seem odd then that Chris Pronger would only receive 8 games?

The Chris Simon suspension was long because Simon was considered a “repeat offender”, and someone that needed to learn the hard way.

What does that make Pronger, who now has been suspended 8 times in his career. Surely we don’t need to remind you of last season where he received 2 suspensions during the playoffs for rough / dirty play, including that elbow to the head of Dean McAmmond in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The answer is there, if you look hard enough. Chris Simon is not an all star player, nor a big point scorer, or a crowd drawing player. Chris Pronger is. Chris Simon is not a Norris quality player. Chris Pronger is.

Is the NHL too scared, maybe even gutless to come down hard on an all star player? Chris Pronger has shown that these stupidly small suspensions do nothing to encourage him to clean up his game, so why don’t Gary Bettman and the NHL do something about him?

Something to think about.

Pronger will be able to play again on the last day of the regular season, meaning he will be free to throw his weight around in the playoffs. Let’s hope, for the sake of the opposition players that he learns to control himself before then.

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Sundin Refuses To Trade

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Posted by admin on 25th, 2008

Those who had hopes of their NHL team picking up veteran scorer, Mats Sundin will have to wait til possibly next year after the Maple Leaf Forward today refused to waive his no trade clause.

Sundin, a Maple Leaf all his professional hockey career does not want to leave the team he has dedicated his life to for the last 13 seasons.

“I have always believed I would finish my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf so the actual request was still a very difficult one for me to contemplate,” Sundin said in a statement released by his agent J.P. Barry on Sunday night. “I have spoken to and listened to my family and those closest to me about this issue. In the end, there is no right decision in a situation like this one.”
- NHL @ Yahoo

The Toronto media has not been easy on Sundin over recent weeks, with some sources claiming his refusal to waive his no trade clause will damage the team in the future. The fact is, while the media and fans may complain about his refusal to be traded, they are forgetting that Mats Sundin IS the face of that franchise, and he has more than earned his right to stay in Toronto.

Due to his age, a trade would have put Sundin as a rental player, something Sundin himself completely disagrees with.

“I have never believed in the concept of a rental player. It is my belief that winning the Stanley Cup is the greatest thing you can achieve in hockey but for me, in order to appreciate it you have to have been part of the entire journey and that means October through June. I hope everyone will understand and respect my decision.”
- NHL @ Yahoo

The club now faces a major decision to make during the upcoming off-season. Do they opt to re-sign Sundin, or let him go into the Free agent market? Realistically, the best option for the Leafs would be to sign him for another year and let him finish out his career with the team he knows and loves.