More good news: Drake Caggiula Practicing

From the press conference today the update on sophomore forward Drake Caggiula.

“He practiced on a limited basis yesterday, head coach Dave Hakstol said. “He’s making great strides. So, we haven’t made any decision for the weekend yet. Those final decisions, I think will be another 48 hours away.”

Drake Caggiula is practicing on a limited basis. Questionable for the weekend.
— Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) October 30, 2013

On tonight's UND Coaches Show, Coach Hakstol said Drake Caggiula practiced without limitation today and that "all signs are excellent."
— North Dakota MHockey (@UNDMHockey) October 31, 2013

WCHA News breaking this afternoon at 4:30

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There is a big WCHA news conference this afternoon at 4:30 and you can watch it live from this web link. Word has it that there is announcement about the Minnesota Cup, the World Junior Coach and the WCHA’s conference tourney next year. 

What: Joint Press Conference featuring Special Announcements from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, USA Hockey, Inc., and University of Minnesota

and  Bruce McLeod, WCHA Commissioner, Richard MacKeigan, Regional General Manager, DeVos Place & Van Andel Arena, Katy Tigchelaar, Events Manager, West Michigan Sports Commissioner, Jack Larson, Vice-President & General Manager, Xcel Energy Center, Jake Spano, Marketing Director, City of Saint Paul Jennifer Heppel, Associate Commissioner, Big 10 Conference, Dave Fischer, Senior Director of Communications, USA Hockey, Inc. Tom McGinnis, Associate Athletic Director, University of Minnesota.

Saturday, March 23 4:30 pm CT

Press Interview Room, Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN

Video Stream link:

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/livestream

Parise's press conference

Check this out, former Fighting Sioux and current New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise is a hot commodity off the ice as well as two reporters almost end up slugging it out over positioning at the press conference.

Here is a great description of the incident from via Jill Painter of Inside the Kings,

There was a big scrum around Devils winger Zach Parise, and Parise almost had to break up a fight between reporters. The two men were jockeying for position with their tape recorder and microphone, respectively, when one yelled ``Stop it!’’ while Parise was talking.

The reporter smacked his notebook against the microphone, then used the spirals to run it down the microphone to impair the sound. Eventually, Parise was hit in the face by the microphone.

``Do we need to start this over?’’ Parise asked the men.

If they were wearing gloves, they would’ve dropped them right there.

Related articles

• CSN: Parise mum on his impending free agency

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Torts game two press conference

I think the best job in the NHL would be transcribing New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella's brief post game press conferences - there are very few words spoken by the Rangers head coach - especially when the New York Rangers lose the game. I have to admit that I thought the short post game press conferences were funny at first but I would actually like to hear what he has to say. Why didn't Gabby play in the third period.

Related articles

• Don't be that guy - Torts unloads on reporter for having cell phone on

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• Some Poor Bastard's Cell Phone Went Off During John Tortorella's Press Conference, And Torts Was Not Happy [Video]

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• Kreider seeing little ice time during Rangers run

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Don't be that guy - Torts unloads on reporter for having cell phone on

The ongoing joke during the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been the Rangers head coach John Tortorella and how short his press conferences have been. As a person that been to a few post-game press conferences – sometimes the coaches just don’t want to talk to the media nor are they in any mood to answer questions from the media jackals.

Don’t be that guy – you also don’t want to be the person that has forgotten to turn off his cell phone. You might do it once but you probably won’t ever do it again.

Dave Stubbs, National Post --- “Typical New York,” veteran New York journalist Stan Fischler said Sunday with a laugh.

Next to this lunacy, Tortorella is just a cloudburst whose 15-second, syllable-short news conferences add to this season’s delicious drama on Broadway.

Torts’s act is well known in hockey, fittingly showbiz in the world’s headquarters of the theatre as his team prepares to face the New Jersey Devils Monday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.

The coach’s shtick probably is carefully crafted to take heat off his team, give the opponent as little information as possible and keep the media off balance. It quickly wears thin with many and is viewed as disrespectful not just of reporters, but of the many great communicative coaches who have gone before him.

Predictably, Torts’s players will tell you they respect their leader who will go to the wall for them. And his results —the Rangers now eight victories from a Stanley Cup championship — speak for themselves.

I have to give Torts credit, he is very entertaining and a lot of fun to watch in the post game press conferences that they show on NBCSN and a lot of what he says can’t be said on TV without being bleeped out, but It makes for good theater. I also think it might be a tactic and maybe his antics do take the heat off of his team when they lose.

Related articles

• Some Poor Bastard's Cell Phone Went Off During John Tortorella's Press Conference, And Torts Was Not Happy [Video]
• Torts used exactly 31 words to answer questions today
• Tortorella on playoffs: "This is where your legacy is made"
• Torts: Bring back red line

UPDATE: Video from the St. Cloud State presser

Watch live streaming video from

Here is the video from the SCSU press conference that was held earlier today. The press conference starts at about 26 minutes.

St. Cloud, Minn. - St. Cloud State University has accepted an invitation to join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference beginning with the 2013-14 season. The acceptance of this invitation for St. Cloud State’s hockey program was announced today by University President Dr. Earl H. Potter III.

“We are delighted to join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference,” Potter said. “We believe that the conference’s strength of play and commitment to college hockey and student athletes is strong and deep and we look forward to an exciting future with The National.”

The Huskies along with Western Michigan University were extended invitations to join the The National on Sept. 21. The Huskies will join current league members Colorado College, University of Denver, Miami University, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of North Dakota when the league begins play in 2013-14.

Related articles

• RW77′s Take on Conference Realignment Part 2 (mvn.com)

Winnipeg press conference with Gary Bettman

Wow!!! I can’t be the only one that thinks the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is a smug little pompous jerk? When I watch Gary Bettman talk in press conferences on television or listen to him speak on XM radio; Bettman reminds me of one of the many empty suits that make up Washington, D.C., arrogant, condescending, smug, gets short with people… Frankly I think Bettman is a jerk the way he conducts himself. I would have loved to hook up a lie detector during his press conference today.

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• Bettman say MTS Centre must sell out for success (ctv.ca)
• Thrashers sale, move to Winnipeg decision announced (aol.sportingnews.com)
• NHL back in Winnipeg (macleans.ca)
• B&C Morning Show: Gary Bettman Calls In To Talk About Boomer Buying The Coyotes (newyork.cbslocal.com)