Chicago Blackhawks: name Kevin Dineen assistant coach

#470744863 / gettyimages.com

For those keeping track at home. Former Denver Pioneer hockey player and Team Canada women's national ice hockey team head coach Kevin Dineen has been hired as an assistant hockey coach by the Chicago Blackhawks.

NHL.COM -- Kevin Dineen coached the Canadian women's national team to a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and most recently coached Canada's men's under-18 national team to a bronze medal at the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in April.

He coached the Panthers for two-plus seasons before being fired on Nov. 8, 2013. Under Dineen, the Panthers won the Southeast Division title in 2011-12 and went 56-62-28 in 146 games. Dineen also coached the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League from 2005-11. He was the AHL's coach of the year in 2005-06.

"I am thrilled to join Joel Quenneville, a future hall of fame coach, and Mike Kitchen, as we strive to reach the ultimate goal in professional hockey," Dineen said. "After spending time speaking with [president and CEO] John McDonough, Stan Bowman and [vice president of hockey operations] Al MacIsaac it is easy to understand why the Chicago Blackhawks are considered one of the top franchises in all of professional sports. Starting with [chairman] Rocky Wirtz and continuing through the rest of the organization, the measure of success is very high in Chicago. I look forward to supporting the coaching staff and working with some of the best players in the National Hockey League."

Sweden's Niklas Bäckström Banned from the Gold Medal Game for Using Banned substance

English: #19 Nicklas Backstrom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This has to be one of the most asinine things that I have ever seen. Nicklas Backstrom of Sweden was banned from the gold medal game against the Canadians for failing a drug test. Must have been performance enhancing right? Nope! According to Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy, the banned substance in question was Zyrtec-D. In my humble opinion, that has to be one of the most moronic things I have ever seen. It makes no sense what-so-ever. How is Zyrtec-D a PED? Why is this banned?

New York Times --- A Swedish Olympic Committee spokesman told The Associated Press that Backstrom, 26, had tested positive for a substance found in an allergy medication he has taken for seven years. Backstrom, a top-line center, had four assists over Sweden’s first five games.

The N.H.L. and the Capitals indicated in statements that Backstrom’s doping violation would not affect his status in the N.H.L. because the substance he tested positive for is not considered a banned substance by the league. Athletes competing in the Olympics are subject to tougher antidoping rules than those of the major professional leagues like the N.H.L.

The league’s deputy commissioner, Bill Daly, said, “We do not anticipate there being any consequences relative to Nicklas’s eligibility to participate in games for the Washington Capitals.”

Backstrom’s is the sixth known doping offense of the Sochi Games. The other athletes who failed drug tests were the cross-country skiers Johannes Duerr of Austria and Marina Lisogor of Ukraine; the men’s hockey player Vitalijs Pavlovs of Latvia; the biathlete Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle of Germany, who as a cross-country skier won two gold medals and three silver medals at previous Olympics; and the bobsledder William Frullani of Italy.

Did the IOC expect him to suffer and not have him take his allergy medicine? Being a person that suffers from seasonal allergies, I would be miserable if I couldn't take my over-counter medication for my allergies. This is a rule that has to be looked at and then nuked.

Women's Olympic Hockey: USA vs. Canada gold medal game - Open thread

GIF: A great glove save robs Team USA on the power play early http://t.co/HUZNmzOzaq
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 20, 2014

What a save by the Canadian goalie. And I don't think either contry wants him.

Nothing is higher than the stakes of tomorrow’s game. pic.twitter.com/usqJ9EPTpg
— Command Sign (@CommandSign) February 20, 2014

World's best in action. Team USA and Canada battle through scoreless 1st period in Women's Hockey gold-medal game. pic.twitter.com/Ys55MhrfgL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 20, 2014

Also, here’s the link to streaming video of the women’s Gold Medal game #Sochi2014 http://t.co/TlgKWYN8cC
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzCSN) February 20, 2014

USA GOAL! http://t.co/cCUMuaiXnk
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 20, 2014

Jocelyne Lamoureux sets up Meghan Duggan. USA goes up 1-0 with 8:03 left in the second period.
— Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) February 20, 2014

USA! USA! Former Badger @mduggan10 puts it in to bring #TeamUSA up 1-0. #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/MejoZACE2h
— UW-Madison (@UWMadison) February 20, 2014

Duggan's goal was the first even-strength goal allowed by Canada this tournament and the second since the 2002 semifinals.
— Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) February 20, 2014

Another Swiss team photo after winning the bronze, from the dressing room. pic.twitter.com/h38hSdrDym (via @SwissIceHockey)
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) February 20, 2014

GIF: Knight to Carpenter for a 2-0 Team USA lead in the third period http://t.co/7EenX84wDI
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 20, 2014

This close. pic.twitter.com/dS1WqNhqH9
— Josh Gold-Smith (@GoldAndOrSmith) February 20, 2014

2 great shows today put on by Team USA & Canada in Women's Hockey... HEARTBREAK in #Sochi2014 Hats off for a hard fight & an epic one! #USA
— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) February 20, 2014

Hey Canada, just remember where Poulin had to go to college to play competitive hockey.
— Andy Merritt (@A_Merritt) February 20, 2014

Hey Canada, just remember where Poulin had to go to college to play competitive hockey.
— Andy Merritt (@A_Merritt) February 20, 2014

Zach Parise goal GIF

This was Zach Parise's first point of the 2014 Sochi games. If you're not following @PETEBLACKBURN on twitter, I recommend doing so.

Deadspin: IIHF To Change Rule That Gave U.S. Victory Over Russia

100 px (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Apparently, all of the grumbling about the way USA won the game against the Russians will cause the IIHF to change the dislodged net rule.

Barry Petchesky, Deadspin – The IIHF intends to go that route too. President Rene Fasel spoke to reporters today. From Championat.ru, via and translated by Puck Daddy:

What can you say about the disallowed goal because of the dislodged net?

"We will change that rule. To disallow a goal because of two centimeters? That's nonsense. But that is the existing rule, nothing can be done. That's why I think that this rule needs to be changed and officiate the way it is done in the NHL. That's what we will do."

Team Russia's lines

s/t to RMNB Puck Daddy's Dmitry Chesnokov reported the lines.

Forwards:
Alex Ovechkin – Evgeni Malkin – Alexander Semin
Vladimir Tarasenko – Artem Anisimov – Nikolai Kulemin
Alexander Radulov – Aleksandr Svitov – Ilya Kovalchuk
Alexander Popov – Alexei Tereschenko – Viktor Tikhonov

Defensive pairings:
Anton Belov – Nikita Nikitin
Alexei Emelin – Evgeni Medvedev
Andrei Markov – Slava Voynov
Ilya Nikulin – Fedor Tyutin