Ok I am confused...

All right it wasn't that long ago that Barry Melrose said that the Bruins were the best team left in the Stanley Cup playoffs and now a few short days later mullet man says he likes the Flyers to take this series.

Bruins have a 50-50 chance...

I give the Boston Bruins have a 50/50 chance of winning the hockey game tomorrow night against the Broad Street Bulleys. Looking at the numbers the Bruins are 9-9 in game sevens.

WILMINGTON — The Bruins are about to play in their 19th Game 7 in team history on Friday night against the Flyers. It will be the 15th Game 7 on home ice and the second time they have been taken to a Game 7 after leading a series three games to none (1939 against the Rangers was the last time). It is the fourth time they have been taken to a Game 7 after holding a three games to one advantage (1939 Rangers, 1992 Sabres, 2004 Canadiens).

The Bruins hold a 9-9 record overall in Game 7s and are 9-5 at home. They are 2-2 when the game is decided in overtime, such as last season in the semifinals against Carolina. The Bruins have lost three straight Game 7s after winning their previous six and this will be the first time they face the Flyers in an ultimate game.

Coach Claude Julien is 1-2 lifetime in Game 7s while Flyers coach Peter Laviolette is 2-1. Julien’s lone win came over the Bruins when he was the coach of Montreal in 2004. Steve Begin (2-0), Mark Recchi (4-3) and Dennis Seidenberg (2-1) are the only Bruins players to have winning records in Game 7s while captain Zdeno Chara is 0-4

Winnipeg still 'ready, willing and able' (links)

Here is a really nice story that I found in today's Face off. I still think the NHL will end up in Winnipeg and ground work is being laid right now as we speak. There are too many NHL teams in places that aren't hockey markets bleeding money.

Still, few were willing to concede defeat following Glendale city council's decision to pay up to US$25- million to the NHL to run the team out of Jobing.comArena for another season, if a buyer for the struggling franchise is not secured by then. Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz said there was still a good chance the city would have a team in the next three years.

"There are still several markets in the NHL in the United States that are bleeding and I don't think they'll be able to stop the bleeding," he told reporters in Winnipeg yesterday. "It's important for us to be ready, willing and able when the time comes."

Rumours that the time has come have washed over the prairies in ebbs and flows ever since the Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996. This week, it was reported the NHL had a contingency schedule for next season that included Winnipeg.

Darren Ford, who runs JetsOwner.com,a website championing the Jets' return, said this week's smoke was as close as he has seen to fire. "I think we are very close. I still remain having a very good vibe," Ford said. "I know the moods remains positive and whether that means [a team will move to Winnipeg] for next season or not, I don't know. But there are so many other teams bleeding red ink, this could be the domino effect we've all been waiting for."

A source close to NHL officials told the National Post that the Coyotes would be moving to Winnipeg if an arena lease was not successfully negotiated with the city of Glendale.

Commissioner Gary Bettman, appearing on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada on Monday night to dispel some of the rumours surrounding the Coyotes soap opera, said the league has been in discussion with Winnipeg for some time
[Faceoff.com]

Links

The case for Winnipeg; [the Globe and Mail]

Watchdog on trail of money transfer to NHL; [the Globe and Mail]

Glendale follows one bad decision with another; [the Globe and Mail]

There's still a fighting chance Coyotes may yet wind up in 'Peg; [Winnipeg Free Press]

Clock's ticking on Coyotes; [Winnipeg Free Press]

Gary Bettman: Smarmy little toad [Click to listen to podcast]

Les Habitants win game 7 against Gary Bettman's Penguins

If you didn't watch the game last night here are the highlights. I wonder if Gary Bettman’s sphincter tightened today with the thought of his favorite team being eliminated last night by the Montreal Canadians.

While I get it, Sidney “Cindy” Crosby is the current face of the NHL and I understand that the NHL wants to squeeze all the money it can out of Crosby’s likeness most of us are tired of his crybaby antics and whining. Forgive us if we enjoy the Penguins demise today. Yeah, I know! My team is in the middle of a historic choke job but I am going to enjoy the moment.

The Claude Julien spin; the winner moves on...

Wow! That's profound, the winner moves on. As a Bruins fan I am not a happy camper this morning, the Bruins are very close to being the only the third team to lose a series after being up 3-0. I think if the Boston Bruins lose this series the GM and the head coach should be gone.

This team needs a shake up in a bad way, this team is stagnant and diseased. The Bruins are playing way too conservative and they need to get a lead in the next game or they are done, they have no answers for the Flyers if they get behind.

Last night’s the Bruins effort was putrid and unacceptable until the Hapless Bad News Bears decided to play the last two minutes of the third period. You can not win a hockey game when you don’t play for the first. Philly was good and they were on top of the Bruins all night, especially when they were killing a penalty.

This statement by Shawn Thornton disturbs me.

Said Shawn Thornton: “I’d much rather be going back to Boston for Game 7 than coming here. We’ll leave it all out there (tomorrow) night, and we’ll see what happens.”

The Bruins has three opportunites to end this series and failed. Now they want to leave it on the ice in game seven? Unacceptable.

Lots of passengers on the B's

Daniel Paille - 1 assist in the last 5 games. That's unacceptable, time to send Buffalo's first round bust to the wavier wire/unemployment line when the season is over.

Miroslav Satan - no points in three games, I would like to see his funny dance sometime soon again. All of a sudden the last three games is looking 35 and slow.

Blake Wheeler - hands of stone and worthless inside the slot, couldn’t score in a brothel. RFA in the off season, I would like to see if the Bruins can trade him for a first or second round draft choice that might actually play every game instead of disappearing for periods of time. Ironically Wheelers Plays just like he did when he was with the Gophers, has a good game and then is invisible the next four games. The last three games Wheeler is (0g-1a-1pts) and a minus -2. That is unacceptable.

Patrice Bergeron - the Bruins leading scorer has been held pointless in the last two games. For the Bruins to be successful Bergy has to be a leader and make plays.

Michael Ryder - has been unimpressive, invisible and brutal are the three words that I would use to explain his play. The Bruins couldn’t get a bag of game used pucks for him right now. Ryder has a paltry one goal in the last five games. Yeah! That's right! Ryder has been utterly worthless...

Pierre McGuire, NHL GM?

I bet most people didn’t know that Pierre McGuire was a college hockey coach? Also, nothing spells potential disaster more than hiring a person to a management position that was a failure has a coach (54 W - 70 L - 7 T). I think Pierre should stick to doing television for NBC and TSN.

I had thought that Minnesota’s flirtation with TV analyst Pierre McGuire for their top hockey job was an aberration, but apparently a second NHL franchise is considering him as a potential general manager. John Boruk, who covers the Flyers for CSN Philly, tweeted that according to a good source, McGuire has now interviewed twice for the vacant general manager position in Tampa Bay (g/t SBN).

McGuire is not totally without actual hockey experience; he was an assistant coach in the NCAA before jumping to a similar job with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also briefly coached the Hartford Whalers before being fired midway through his first season in the job. From Hartford he moved on to Ottawa where he spent a couple of seasons. He got into broadcasting after an unsuccessful season coaching the ECHL’s Baton Rouge Kingfish. [the Score]

Glendale OKs Deal To Keep Hockey Team

I am beginning to wonder if the city of Winnipeg wasn't used a pawn to get the city of Glendale to cover the Coyotes losses up to 25 million dollars? We will see in the coming weeks where this is heading. Here is another interesting perspective on this matter from on Frozen Blog.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Glendale City Council unanimously agreed to cover up to $25 million in operating expenses for the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2010-11 season during its meeting Tuesday night.

Council members agreed to create user fees in their sports and entertainment district to cover the hockey team's costs.

The city will only instate the fees if the National Hockey League fails to find a new owner for the franchise by September.

The city said it is still negotiating with two potential owners for the hockey team.

Glendale and NHL officials said they were optimistic they would secure a new owner this summer.

If Glendale did not agree to cover the team's operating costs, NHL officials were considering moving the team back to Winnipeg, Canada.

Dozens of fans showed up to Tuesday's city council meeting to support the team

May 10th, 2010 Coach's Corner

Back by popular demand.

Check out this hit...

Vladimir Sobotka smokes Danny Briere, that was probably the hit of the series so far. There have been a couple of questionable hits on both ends of the ice so it's nice to see a nice legal stiff check for a change.

UND nickname supporters say issue not dead

This article was in yesterday's Minot Daily News. Looks like the petition in question was tabled just because Chairman Charles Murphy was not at the meeting due to a death in his family and the petition will be addressed at a later meeting.

FARGO (AP) - Supporters of the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname and logo continue to hold out hope for its survival, even as UND President Robert Kelley maps out plans to retire the moniker.

The North Dakota Board of Education has voted to scrap the nickname, after the Grand Forks school waged a four-year legal battle with the NCAA. An agreement with the governing body of college sports would allow UND to keep the logo if it gets approval from the state's two namesake tribes, Spirit Lake and Standing Rock.

Last year, 67 percent of the Spirit Lake Sioux tribal members who voted endorsed the nickname's continued use.

Higher education board president Richie Smith said if the Standing Rock tribe votes in favor of the nickname before the Nov. 30 deadline set in the NCAA settlement, the board would likely revisit the issue. The board earlier added a provision requiring the two tribes to sign 30-year agreements for use of the name.

''If we get those 30-year agreements, I think we have a deal,'' Smith said.

Tribal backers at Standing Rock have turned in petitions with 1,004 signatures asking the council to approve an election. Tom Iron, former tribal vice chairman and nickname supporter, said the issue was tabled at a recent council meeting because Chairman Charles Murphy was absent due to a death in the family.

''Mr. Murphy told us to hold off until he gets home and we'll take care of it,'' said Iron, who lives in McLaughlin, S.D. ''He's very much concerned about what the people want because they submitted a petition with more than a thousand signatures.''

Another nickname supporter, former Standing Rock council member Archie Fool Bear, said the debate will rage on until the tribe has a vote.

''I'm hoping this council sees the light and says, 'Hey, the people want a say on this issue. Let's give it to them,''' Fool Bear said. ''And get away from the constant day-after-day and year-after-year haggling over the same thing like it's that terrible.'' [Minot Daily News]

Savard put a bull’s eye on his back...

I think that Bruins Center Marc Savard has put the bull’s eye firmly on his back with his post game comments last night. Apparently the fans in Philly are not happy with Savard as well. In a way I do agree with Savard because the Flyers have been taking runs at him all series long, it has been blatantly obvious from the drop of the first puck during game one.

In game four during the second period Marc Savard had the puck behind the Flyers net, Mark Richards went hard at Savard but luckily he missed, I can’t even imagine what would have happened if Richards had connected? I do admit that the Begin hit on Giroux was unnecessary and some might say it was dirty. Rough play is part of hockey and there has been questionable hits on both ends of the ice during this series and I don’t think the Flyers have the high moral ground based on their tarnished reputation. The reffing in this series has been questionable at best. I do think this series is going to heat up even more in the next game.

Ice Edge out; True North silent

Here is another twist in the Phoenix Coyotes possibly relocating back to Winnipeg. This seems to be a fluid ever changing story.

Monday night's late-breaking news that Ice Edge Holdings has stepped away from its negotiations with the city of Glendale didn't change the no comment stance the organization has taken on the subject of the NHL returning to Winnipeg.

Don't be surprised, however, if phone discussions and meetings were keeping True North chairman Mark Chipman and his people busy after the news began emanating from Phoenix.

"Talks have broken off," Ice Edge Holdings chief operating officer Daryl Jones told the Free Press late Monday night. "We were adamant about needing exclusivity in these negotiations and they haven't provided it. I'm not totally surprised. We've been dealing with this for a while. We thought we had agreed to certain things and expected them in writing. That didn't materialize."

Ice Edge had been working with Glendale city council to draft a lease agreement that was agreeable to both parties. Once a lease was agreed upon, Ice Edge had hoped to buy the Coyotes from the NHL, which purchased the club out of bankruptcy last fall.

Glendale city council is still expected to vote on a request to satisfy a number of NHL demands, including one that would see the city put together a financial guarantee to cover any losses incurred by the Coyotes for the 2010-11 season if the NHL is forced to operate the team for a second season.

"No comment," was all True North Sports and Entertainment communications director Scott Brown had to say when reached Monday and asked about the latest developments in Phoenix.

Ice Edge stepping out of the deal will leave Glendale city council with the choice of agreeing to cover losses for next season while the NHL tries to find a new buyer or to refuse the option and likely see the Coyotes relocated to a new city.

The hockey world is waiting to see what unfolds as the NHL and the city of Glendale battle in an attempt to keep hockey in the desert. True North is sitting off to the side and watching with interest like a duck on a pond, all calm on the surface but paddling furiously below the waterline.

Should the Coyotes become available for relocation, the NHL and True North are in position to act fast and come to a quick agreement. A deal to purchase an NHL team usually takes months but Chipman and his team have been working alongside the NHL for some time and the majority of work on such a pact has been done. [Winnipeg Free Press]

Ice Edge breaks off talks to buy Coyotes

This is good news if you're hoping thast the Coyotes end up back in Winnipeg. The Coyotes have been a dismal failure in Phoenix and have lost a lot of money and should have never moved from Winnipeg in my opinion.

WINNIPEG — Ice Edge Holdings have walked away from the table in their bid to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes.

"Talks have broken off," Ice Edge chief operating office Daryl Jones told the Free Press late Monday night.

Glendale council meeting on Coyotes deal "We were adamant about needing exclusivity in these negotiations and they haven't provided it. I'm not totally surprised. We've been dealing with this for a while. We thought we had agreed to certain things and expected them in writing. That didn't materialize."

Ice Edge had been working with Glendale city council to draft a lease agreement that was amenable to both parties. Once a lease was agreed upon, Ice Edge had hoped to purchase the Coyotes from the NHL, who purchased the club out of bankruptcy last fall.

Glendale city council is still expected to vote on a request to satisfy a number of NHL demands, including one that would see the city put together a financial guarantee to cover any losses incurred by the Coyotes for the 2010-11 season if the NHL is forced to operate the team for a second season. [Winnipeg Free Press]

Melrose: Bruins are best team remaining

I am getting worried now and I don't know if I agree with Melrose, the Boston Bruins are a beat up team and are missing two of their top six forwards in David Krejci and Marco Sturm.

Flyers defenseman takes out his own goaltender.

This is how the Flyers goaltender Brian Boucher was hurt in tonight's game, he was run over by his own defenseman... The goal mouth is a high traffic area and I am surprised more goaltenders aren't hurt.

Carcillo out for game 5?

Fan favorite (yeah right) Daniel "the Hack" Carcillo is out for game five after getting smoked by Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk if I can find the video I will post it. LGM's boy Jon Kalinski could replace the Flyers hack Daniel Carcillo in the Flyers line up on Monday.

VOORHEES, N.J. -- Goalie Michael Leighton practiced Sunday here at SkateZone, the Flyers' suburban practice rink, as starter Brian Boucher's backup, but forward Danny Carcillo, who was injured in the Flyers'5-4 overtime victory Friday night, did not practice and may miss Game 5 Monday in Boston (7 p.m., VERSUS, TSN2).

The Flyers staved off elimination Friday night when Simon Gagne, who missed the previous four games with a broken foot, scored at 14:40 of overtime. The Flyers now trail the , 3-1.

If Carcillo, who sat on the bench for the third period and overtime, can't play, his likely replacement is Jon Kalinski, a left wing who can play center and who brings some grit. That's necessary when you're replacing a player nicknamed "Car Bomb."

Carcillo was rocked early in the first period by a check thrown by Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk, but played on through the final minutes of the second period.

Toews rides a wave of optimism back to Chicago

Here is a nice story about former Fighting Sioux star and Chicago Blackhawk Jonathan Toews that was in today's Vancouver Globe and Mail.

Jonathan Toews looks remarkably alert at this moment, minutes after emerging from the Chicago Blackhawks’ triumphant charter flight home. This is the blessing of youth - and a sharp contrast to bleary-eyed teammate Patrick Sharp, who took the first turn at the microphone at Signature Flight Support, near O’Hare airport, where the team’s charter from Vancouver landed late Saturday afternoon.

One day earlier, Toews drove a stake through the hearts of the Canucks’ playoff hopes with a brilliant five-point performance. This afternoon, Toews was explaining why the team cannot take anything for granted heading into Sunday’s fifth game, a possible elimination game with Chicago ahead 3-1 in the series. Toews said all the right things: The Blackhawks will take nothing for granted. The final game is always the most difficult to win. Etc. etc. There is a reason why teammate Patrick Kane calls Toews Mr. Serious. There is an uncommon gravitas about the Blackhawks' young captain that seems oddly out of step with his age, 22.

But it doesn't take away from this stark reality: That for the second season in a row, the Blackhawks’ emerging young nucleus of players is outperforming its opposite numbers with the Canucks. Toews and Kane have done a better job of both leading and marshaling their troops than the Sedins have done on the other side; and as coach Alain Vigneault so memorably put it the other night, Roberto Luongo has been the second best goaltender in this series. Ouch.

Toews suggested Saturday that points on the score sheet seem to fascinate everyone, but it isn’t always indicative of how someone’s playing. Fair enough - although in the last three games, as he took over the playoff scoring lead, the points have been hard to ignore, 17 in all in his last seven games; 18 in 11 games at GM Place, counting the Olympics. A pretty impressive run here.

“Some nights, you’re not going to play your best and everything kinda goes in for you,” said Toews. “Obviously, (Friday) night was one of those nights where you’re around the net and everything seems to find you. Pucks are coming to you, and you get lucky. [Read the rest of the story]

Bruins let one slip away. Game 5 tomorrow in Boston

The Bruins went down 3-1 before they tied the game again only to go down 4-3 again before tying the game in the waning moments of the third period. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the Bruins were on their heels for most of the game and gave up too many untimely goals.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask was solid and kept the Bruins in the game and because of his play almost pulled out the series sweep. The Boston Bruins got a power play on a boarding call that would have been a much harsher penalty if it hadn't transpired during the overtime period during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Flyers were taking runs at Marc Savard and Mike Richards tried to run Savard in the Bruins end during the first period only to miss/whiff.

Lost Legend; Car crash cut short career of Flames' next big star...

Stick tap to Moose Richards. Almost 25 years ago Bemidji High School classmates lost a good friend, an awesome teammate, a great guy. George was three sport Letterman in Hockey, Football and Baseball, he was very good at all three sports, probably could have played division one in all of them. I had the pleasure of playing football with Big George in 1985 at Bemidji High School, when our football team won the conference title. Tom Cochrane and Red Rider from the album Victory Day dedicated the song the Big Leagues to George.

Summer of 1986: I was stationed in Stuttgart Germany and I remember getting a letter from an old friend Sean Sace who informed me that Big George had been killed in a car accident. My father sent me the Hockey News magazine in the mail that covered George's funeral. George's funeral made the front page of the hockey news. It was a tragic ending to young life. [Link to a tribute to big George]

Since they’ve been asked to pose at their son’s gravesite, they pose.

Four pucks neatly lined up on the headstone don’t surprise the parents. Happens all the time. They cannot explain how pucks get there. They just appear.

“Kids. Friends,” says Winnie, shrugging.

Restless, the Pelawas pick at the sap on the headstone. The camera clicks.


George Dale Pelawa, six foot three and 245 pounds, had been approaching Paul Bunyan’s dimensions, literally and figuratively. The broad-shouldered teen was threatening the mythical lumberjack’s poster-boy status in these parts.

But the burgeoning

legend, a three-sport

standout, died in a car crash, Aug. 30, 1986.

“Many think of the wasted career, but he’s been our shining star for years,” Lyman Brink, assistant coach at Bemidji High School, said a week after the accident. “We now have to think of his wonderful past.”

First, though, came grief for a future flattened.

Fans in Minnesota mourned — George had been named Mr. Hockey as the best high-school player in the state.

Fans in North Dakota mourned — George had accepted a scholarship to the UND, which was loading up for a national-title run.

Fans in Calgary mourned — George had been selected by the Flames in the first round of the National Hockey League draft.

But there is no mourning like a family’s.

“It was a long time ago, pretty near a quarter-century,” says Frank, wiping his eyes, “but still . . . .”


When a stranger phoned on a spring-day afternoon, the Pelawas had listened patiently to the rambling request.

Boiled down — would they be willing to talk about their dead boy?

They were more than willing, as it turns out, but barely able. The collision that ripped the artery off George’s heart had irreparably crushed theirs.

“It’s like yesterday in many ways,” says Winnie. “If somebody has a disease or something, you’re prepared. But when it’s sudden like that. . . . Your children aren’t supposed to go before you.”

If the topic is so painful, so wrenching, why extend the invitation into their home?

Simple.

Because they want people to remember George, their George.

When Flames prospect Mickey Renaud died suddenly of a heart condition eight months after the 2007 NHL draft, the Pelawa story got retold. Similarities between the barrel-chested forwards — bright futures, sudden ends — were jarring.

But, given the passage of time, many in Calgary had been unaware of the 1986 tragedy.

Frank understands.

“It rolls over so much, you know, one year turns into . . . ” he starts, before succumbing to tears and, for not the only time, leaving the kitchen table to grab a breather in the living room.

Whispers Winnie: “Since the stroke, Frank gets so emotional.”

Which becomes the day’s rhythm — reporter apologizing for the intrusion, parents apologizing for the sorrow.

It makes for frequent pauses, with only the coffee pot’s gurgles filling the silence. Told numerous times the interview can be delayed, Winnie and Frank shake their heads.

They’re dedicated to this cause — a tribute for their son. So they answer all questions.

They keep alive the George Pelawa Memorial Scholarship. The Flames honoured their 20-year commitment to the award, but that ended in 2007. Since then the parents have quietly and happily shelled out $1,000 for the annual prize.

“Calgary carried it . . . which is very nice,” says Winnie. “When that quit, we picked it up, continued it. We never thought much about it, then, all of a sudden, the 20 years were up. So we just decided to carry it through.”

But that’s a lot of money, isn’t it?

“Well, it’s worth it,” she insists, despite the couple’s modest income — Frank, 67, is a retired mechanic; Winnie, 61, works for Beltrami County Public Health. “Till we die or we can’t afford it . . . we’ll keep it going.”

This came as news to Flames president Ken King, who says the team plans to revisit the legacy program “based on what we now understand to be the current situation. We’ve talked to the people down there and we think there’s something we can do.”

Meanwhile, George’s childhood chums — determined not to let the parents foot the bill — have begun raising funds.

“Maybe in 20 years,” says Keith Dahl, “there’ll be a whole new group that’s heard of him . . . if you keep the scholarship going.”
[Read more]

Two Sioux may Bolt for Major Juniors (Redwing77)

Early Reports are filtering in that two Sioux players will be leaving UND to play Canadian Major Juniors.

The first one is New York Islander draftee David Toews. The second? Buffalo draftee Corey Fienhage.

To me, this is always a sad event even if it is justifiable.

David Toews never quite grew into being the type of player UND fans thought he'd become. However, that's not truly fair. It was no secret that David wasn't his older brother. It was also no secret that David plays a different style of game than Jonny. David still has some great skills, such as a good shot and stick handling, but couldn't crack the lineup. With the talent coming in, it would make it even more difficult for him to make the lineup. So, he's opting to the major juniors.

Brad Schlossman ponders whether or not he'll go to the WHL or the QMJHL. I, for one, hopes he goes to Brandon of the WHL, the team that drafted him in 2005. I hope the Q whithers and dies... ok, maybe not... well... I hope the trifecta of evil do anyways (Moncton of the QMJHL, London of the OHL, and Red Deer of the WHL). I think it just makes sense for David to play for a team close to home. [Link to the Grand Forks Herald Story]

Corey Fienhage is truly a hard luck case. He comes in early, gets railed by the fans (just like just about every defenseman who has come in young... Lee, Smaby, Finley are just a few like Corey). He never quite plays poorly. In fact, he played really well last season until inexplicably he gets benched in favor of Brent Davidson, a winger converted to D earlier that year.

How does that happen? Something must be going on in practice of off the ice, though I have no proof. There's no reports of attitude but there has been grumblings about work ethic.

It's too bad. I like Fienhage. I think he's a good, solid, defensive defenseman that has good size.

It's always tough to lose good guys but with only 2 seniors leaving, there's not a whole lot of playing time to be had.

Who will come in to replace them?

Well, in my opinion, I think no one should. We have an abundance of wingers and D now that Genoway is returning.

I've read that we have abotu 14 or 15 wingers (including Derek Rodwell) and 8 or 9 defensemen (including Forbort and Simpson).

If we did bring in one last winger, my choice would be Fargo Force forward Colton St. Clair. I would have thought Danny Mattson would be the guy but he's seemingly pulled a Mike Fink on us and has seemed to regress once leaving Minnesota High School.

I don't pretend to know how this is all going to work out, but in Hakstol I trust.

An End of the Year for the Red Wings (RW77)

Ok, it's no surprise to any of the Goon's World regulars that I represent one (if not the only) Red Wings fan on this Blog, but I'm going to lament the good and the bad and ponder the offseason for my Wings in this post.

I admit this is about where I picked the Red Wings to exit the playoffs. I just wished it was in Game 7.

This team went through a ton of ups and downs and, insodoing, came a long way towards establishing a new (but still old) identity.

Last year it was the Penguins that endured a ton of injuries and prevailed. The media was all over the excuse when the Pens lost too. If Gonchar were healthy... if Malkin and Crosby were 100%... etc. This year, the Red Wings lost a TON of players to injury. In my opinion, far more talent was lost this year by the Red Wings to injury than to the Penguins last season.

However, unlike the Penguins, the added implosion of Chris Osgood and the underperformance of the Team D (partially because of Osgood) proved too much in the end.

They were jokes for much of the season, flirting with the final playoff spot but never quite being serious about getting it until very late in the season. Despite the punch line, this competitiveness is remarkable because they lost so much talent to injury and those that remained underperformed. I would have placed them fading into oblivion if I hadn't known better. That doesn't mean I didn't have any doubt about the playoffs. On the contrary, for much of the year, I had the Red Wings placing 9th, only a few points out of the 8th spot.

When the Wings came on strong and managed to finish 5th or 6th (for some reason I can't remember exactly), I was impressed. They were playing awesome hockey. And Jimmy Howard was doing Detroit and the NCAA alumni proud with his play.

In the end the Sharks were just too good for the Red Wings. I think it comes down to depth. I just see the Sharks as being the team with more depth right now than Detroit. They were able to use that depth to their advantage in this series.

So what does this offseason have in store for Detroit?

Here is a list of pending Detroit Free Agents:

Jason Williams (Center)
Tomas Holmstrom (Wing)
Kirk Maltby (Wing)
Todd Bertuzzi (Wing)
Nick Lidstrom (Defense)
Andreas Lilja (Defense)
Brett Lebda (Defense)

Rumors have it that Kirk Maltby is going to retire. I really don't see Williams or Bertuzzi being a big "must sign" either. The big question marks lie in Holmstrom and Lidstrom.

I think the Wings need Holmstrom's grit and knack for getting under the skin of the opposition. He's mouthy, a punk for sure, but at least he's not cheap like Carcillo or Cooke. Lilja and Lebda could probably be resigned for cheap...or they could go in a different direction.

What I WOULD like to see is we replace Williams with someone like John Madden. I know that is replacing what is considered a scoring center with a gritty checking center, but Madden is superb on faceoffs and great defensively and not bad in the offensive zone. However, he is expensive and he's 37 years old. If the Wings wanted to replace him with a scoring winger, I'd expect them to go after someone like Tomas Plekanec or Matthew Lombardi (if they have the money).

In truth, I'm not sure which direction they are going to go because I'm not the guy who understands the whole salary cap and math side of putting a team together. So I listed 3 high priced guys without knowing if the Wings could even sign any of them under the cap.

One thing I did notice is that Osgood is NOT a free agent. I assumed he was. Unfortunately, that means one of two things:

1. Hope he retires
2. Hope Detroit finds a way to buy him out

The guy just can't play anymore. And I'd rather not spend Osgood's salary on a backup... at least I wouldn't if I were the GM.

Instead, I'd like to bring in someone like Michael Leighton or a long shot like Dany Sabourin because they are relatively young, cheap, and in the case of Leighton, had a pretty decent season. Leighton, to me, screams Ty Conklin. And IMO, Conklin should still be backing up in Detroit.

Who knows which direction the Wings will go? But I do know that next year they'll still be a top contender.

Coyotes saga paints a poor picture of league

This is a follow up story to the blog post that I posted earlier today. More of the unfolding drama. I do have to agree with the author of this tory this does make the NHL look a little silly. Also, there seems to be something to the story that David Thomson and Mark Chipman of True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd. are leading a group to move to the Coyotes back to Winnipeg.

And while espn.com reported the city and Ice Edge had agreed on a new lease agreement that would keep the team in the desert through next year, at least, the agreement on covering operating losses still needs to be debated by Glendale city council. Still, Winnipeg seems to be back on the back burner, for now. The Reinsdorf deal, meanwhile, was always a joke; it required the creation of a special taxation zone that would convey to the gracious saviour of the team approximately US$65-million over the next three years to put towards the purchase price, and another US$100-million over seven years to cover operating losses.

Not only that, but it included control of the arena, the right to leave after five years, and a guarantee that Reinsdorf would get US$103-million back in any sale of the team. It was not a credible business arrangement; it was a charity.


And that is where this league was going. In its final attempt to keep a team in a non-traditional market -- or at least, in the display of something resembling an attempt --the NHL seems to have been reduced to proposing municipal blackmail.

Thus the best-case scenario for the Coyotes to stay in the desert is that the business receives publicly funded indemnification against losses. If only the auto industry had been smart enough to write that into their deals with the state of Michigan. Then again, it worked for much of Wall Street.

So what does this tell the next canary in the NHL's overexpanded, misaligned coal mine? What does this tell to the owners and city councils entangled with teams like Atlanta, Nashville, Columbus, Florida -- located outside Miami -- or the New York Islanders, the last of whom are currently fighting for a new building that may never come?

What it says is that if you are a Jerry Moyes, the league will sell you down the river once the money runs out, and if you are a Glendale, you will be held hostage. Oh, and if you want to move a team into the Toronto area you're out of luck, because that's being saved for expansion. Hell of a way to do business. Step right up and own a team, folks.

But we Canadians won't care about how it looks; if Winnipeg is ever finally made whole, hockey-wise, the elation will steamroll any worries about precedent, or that the building is too small, or what happens should the loonie dip back to 65 cents U.S. And as long as Mr. Thomson and his partners agree to absorb any financial losses in private, then all that's fine. [Read the whole story]

Sources: Coyotes would stay in Phoenix

This story seems to be evolving and changing by the day, it was looking better yesterday. While today's turn of events does not appear to be good for the city of Winnipeg right now, this could change again if the city of Glendale doesn't agree to pay any and all operating losses for the Coyotes next season. - Stay tuned.

The City of Glendale and the Ice Edge Holdings group have agreed on all points on a new lease agreement that would keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona, sources told ESPN.com Friday evening.

The two sides are expected to sign a letter of exclusivity by early Monday morning, which will formally end the bid of Chicago sports tycoon Jerry Reinsdorf, although sources told ESPN.com that the city has not considered the Reinsdorf bid viable for some time now.

Ice Edge will not, however, agree to have its new memorandum of understanding submitted to the City Council for a vote until Glendale agrees to a number of conditions outlined by the NHL, chief among them that the city will agree to pay any operating losses the Coyotes might incur next season if a deal to sell the team collapses.

Those requirements will be discussed by City Council at its public meeting Tuesday in Glendale.

Although it's possible the city could find itself on the hook for between $20 million and $30 million in operating losses if a deal with Ice Edge or any other potential buyer moving forward collapses, it's believed Glendale will agree to the league's conditions because the NHL will exercise its right to move the team without those assurances.

It's believed Winnipeg would be the prime target for relocation, sources have told ESPN.com, and that a deal to sell the team to interests in Winnipeg could be completed quickly if Glendale cannot satisfy the league's conditions. [ESPN.COM]

BREC - BSU HOCKEY ARENA

Moose Richards of KBUN Sports Radio "the Bun" and the award winning Hockey Show sent me some recent pictures of the new Bemidji Regional Event Center as it nears completion. BSU and the UND Fighting Sioux will open the event center in October.

Former Badger Adam Burish calls Canucks clowns.

Here is the Adam Burish interview that has everyone talking, I have to admit that I agree with the former Badger Adam Burish, the Canucks are a bunch of clowns and some might even call them Hacks. I can't wait for game four.

VANCOUVER -- Chicago Blackhawks winger Adam Burish accused Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows and defenseman Shane O'Brien of being "clowns" for roughing up Blackhawks skill players during their Western Conference semifinals.

"The thing that upsets me about O'Brien and Burrows is they go and target [Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews]," Burish said Friday morning. "The clown Burrows goes after [Brian] Campbell in the middle of the ice.

"Give me a break. If you want to target someone, come find me or [Ben Eager]. You guys want to pretend you're so tough, and yet you go and try to pick a fight with those guys. If you want to hit them and play hard, fine. But those clowns are pushing them after the whistle and punching them."

Burish implied O'Brien acts tough only when Burish and Eager -- the Blackhawks' enforcers -- aren't on the ice.

"We call O'Brien a 'spot picker,' " Burish said. "He picks his spots pretty nice. He knows who's on the ice and when he can be a tough guy and when he kind of has to shut up."

Burrows' hit on Campbell drew an unsportsmanlike penalty midway through the second period of Game 3 on Wednesday, shortly after the Canucks grabbed some momentum and narrowed the Blackhawks' lead to 2-1. Dustin Byfuglien scored his second goal of the game on the ensuing power play to make it 3-1. The Hawks won 5-2 to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is Friday night in Vancouver.

"You have to be careful at this time of the year," Burish said. "I go into a game and I have a plan. You know who you want to go after, and who you want to target.

Kelly seems giddy about changing the Fighting Sioux name Edit: Audio included

First off I am an alumnus of the University of North Dakota and nothing pisses me off more than what has transpired with the Fighting Sioux nickname, this spring. UND has lacked leadership and someone to bring the University of North Dakota forward.

In my opinion Robert Kelly is the wrong person to lead this university forward, I find him uninspiring. When I read this article it makes my head want to explode of course Robert Kelly is committed to lead the transition, he has no commitment, no attachment and no understanding of what the Fighting Sioux stands for, not a clue what so ever. Robert Kelly is an alumnus Abilene Christian University in Abilene, TX Kelly could give a “flying eff” about the Fighting Sioux name and its storied history. Kelly is an academic who probably has never held a real job outside of the University setting and probably looks at the Fighting Sioux Nickname as a impediment to UND and his vision of what UND should be.

I still to this day believe that UND should be run by a person that is from UND and more specifically a UND grad. You can’t tell me we don’t have someone from UND and North Dakota that isn’t qualified to run this University. I can't be the only one that feels this way? Here is the video of the this uninspiring speech. [Click to watch]

GRAND FORKS – UND President Robert Kelley told members of the University Senate on Thursday that he is “fully committed to the implementation” of marching orders he received last month from state higher education authorities concerning transition from the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

Two “task groups” have been established, one to “plan and implement the process of honoring the history and traditions of the Sioux name and logo” and another to “reach out to students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends – all our constituencies.”

A third group has not yet been activated, he said, identifying it as a “new-directions task group,” which – when and if activated – “will help us think through the process of selecting a new name and logo for the university.”

Kelley, who will report to the state Board of Higher Education in Bismarck Monday on the transition, said that “for the immediate future,” he will recommend “that UND simply use its name – the University of North Dakota – and that our athletic and academic teams use the term ‘North Dakota’ or the interlocked ND as an outward identity for activities that require such designation.”

Due to licensing and contractual considerations, including the fact jerseys and other items already have been ordered, “we will use the Fighting Sioux name and logo through the coming year,” he said. “We’re certainly not going to cover up (that part of) any team item that has been ordered.”

However, “as we get through that cycle (the 2010-2011 school year), we would expect to see no Fighting Sioux logo” in use by UND teams, he said.

Kelley said he has had “cordial, businesslike talks” with representatives of the NCAA and with managers at Ralph Engelstad Arena concerning terms of the lawsuit settlement negotiated in 2007 by Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. The NCAA stipulated that many of the Sioux logos and other features at the arena would have to be removed.

Don Cherry on Flyers hack Dan Carcillo

This video is for Redwing77 as Don "grapes" Cherry addresses the diving and embellishment of the Flyers top agitator (I refer to them as hacks) Dan Carcillo. It's no mystery Don Cherry is not impressed with the antics of Flyers hack Daniel Carcillo because he has addressed this subject in his last two episodes. Don Cherry hits it out of the park with his spot on assessment and Carcillo on how he is a bully and cheapens the game with his soccer like mentality. Carcillo loves to act tough when he is dealing with players that he knows don't or wont fight. Also, notice how Cherry calls Carcillo the wrong name. Classic way of disrespecting someone by mispronouncing their name.

More on the Phoenix Coyotes mess...

A few of my readers have told me that the NHL will never return to Winnipeg. Stories like this one is the reason why I am still hopeful that eventually an NHL franchise will relocate to Winnipeg and once again be only a short drive of 150 miles away from Grand Forks, ND. That is a third of the distance one must drive to see the NHL in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I will still follow the Wild of course but it gives fans like me stuck in flyover country between Saint Paul and Winnipeg options. With each passing day the possibility of an NHL franchise moving back to Winnipeg, Manitoba is becoming more and more of a possibility and looking better and better all of the time. For fans like me that are hoping for this to happen all I can say is keep the faith.

ESPN.com was reporting late Thursday night that the agreement between the City of Glendale and Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf was dead, and that Glendale, which had voted against Ice Edge and in favour of Reinsdorf several weeks ago, had reached out to Ice Edge again. Even the NHL, however, has questioned the ability of Ice Edge to put the funding together to buy the team, and ESPN.com reported that the NHL would place a number of conditions on the sale, including Glendale having to agree to cover any operating losses next season.

If Ice Edge can't strike a deal, the ESPN.com report indicated that Canadian billionaire David Thomson has a purchase agreement ready to sign that would see the team shift operations to Winnipeg.

Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz said it's "just a matter of time" before the city gets an NHL team. Even if it's not the Coyotes, Katz said this week he believes a team will be in Winnipeg within three years.

The impressive first round playoff performance by the Coyotes that saw huge crowds attend the club's games against the Detroit Red Wings apparently weren't enough to keep Reinsdorf in the game, or to make his proposed deal acceptable. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said as recently as Monday that he still hoped a deal could be struck to keep the team in Phoenix, but that he had no deadline on when a purchase could be completed.
[The Spin]

Coyotes sale in jeopardy

So you say that there is a chance. This makes the chances of hockey moving back to Winnipeg even better. I am holding out hope, as I recently told a friend of mine from Winnipeg. I can't wait till I can go to a Jets game on Boxing Day just like the old days.

The imminent sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to Jerry Reinsdorf is no longer imminent, meaning Winnipeg's chances of landing an NHL team just got a little bit better.

Several media outlets reported Thursday night that the NHL’s sale of the Coyotes to the Chicago businessman is dead and that the city of Glendale, Ariz., wants Ice Edge Holdings to assume control of the franchise in an effort to keep the team in the desert.

Scott Burnside of ESPN wrote that Reinsdorf’s deal with the Phoenix suburb is off the table and that Glendale’s city council will file documents on Friday morning accepting a new lease proposal from Ice Edge. Glendale voted against Ice Edge’s initial proposal last month.

As for the team possibly returning to Manitoba, the ESPN report indicated that Glendale needs to guarantee several conditions with the NHL before the league will agree to sell to Ice Edge.

It’s believed Ice Edge was waiting for those conditions to be met before signing the new lease agreement.

If those conditions aren’t met, Burnside wrote it’s possible the league would then look at selling the franchise to Canadian billionaire David Thomson, who co-owns True North, the company that owns MTS Centre. ESPN said a purchase agreement is ready if the Glendale-Ice Edge deal falls apart. [Winnipeg Sun]

NCAA hockey tournament could be changing

When I first read Brad's article I didn't like the idea, then I called a couple fellow hockey fans like myself and came to the conclusion that this could be a change for the better. Can you imagine if UND had gotten to play Yale in the REA instead of some run down half empty hockey arena in Worcester, Massachusetts for a best two out of three series. Yeah! In my opinion there is no way that Yale beats UND two out of three times. Before some fans from hockey east attepmpt to take my head off, I lived in Ayer, MA for a year and a half. I worked in Worcester, it is a run down city and the DCU center is a dump as well. Those are accurate statements.

NC$$...

The NCAA would win because they would sell a lot more tickets than they did this year in the NCAA regional’s. I mean seriously, you have beautiful building like the Xcel Energy Center which seats about 19,000 and you can’t even sell 10,000 tickets? That is unacceptable. Also, with home venues I don’t think you would see crappy ice like you did in Fort Wayne Indiana. The ice conditions there and at the Frozen four were a disgrace and made the NCAA look like a second rate organization. I think the NCAA can do better and if it takes a few tweaks to make things better so be it.

The format for the NCAA men’s hockey tournament may be changing in a couple of years.

Proposals were discussed at an annual college hockey national meeting in Florida last weekend and one gained the most traction.

Under the most popular proposal, the tournament would stay as a 16-team field, but the first round would be a best-of-three series played at the venue of the higher seed.

The eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals would play at one of two super regional sites. The quarterfinals would be one-game shots with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line. The Frozen Four would not change.

The proposal would have to be approved by the NCAA and could not happen until the 2011-12 season at the earliest. Regional sites already have been scheduled for the upcoming season.[Grand Forks Herald]

Is Dustin Byfuglien goal celebration over the top?

This goal celebration by former Roseau native and current BlackHawks forward Dustin Byfuglien has cause quite the discussion over on KuklasKorner. Personally, I don't have a problem with his celebration, it might have crossed the line but I am fed up with all the whining that Canucks fans have done during the playoffs. What do you think? Did he cross the line? Does his celebration lack class?

Chay Genoway press conference

Here is the video and audio of the Chay Genoway's press conference that took place at 1:00 pm today. I have to say that I am very happy with his decision to come back and play another year at UND. UND Fighting Sioux hockey coach Dave Hakstol also had a press conference as well.

Krejci to Miss Remainder of Playoffs

Here is the official announcement that Bruins fans already feared. This is very devastating news for the Boston Bruins because David Krejci fills a lot of roles on the Boston Bruins and his presence will be missed in the line up. Either Trent Whitfield or Brad Marchand will attempt to fill Krejci’s spot in the line up.

BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that forward David Krejci will miss the remainder of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs due to a dislocated right wrist. The injury occurred during the first period of the Bruins/Flyers game on Wednesday, May 5.

Krejci had surgery to repair the wrist at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD following the game. The surgery was performed by Dr. Thomas Graham, Surgeon-in-Chief. Krejci is expected to return for the 2010-11 NHL preseason.

The 24-year-old Krejci tallied four goals and four assists in nine games this postseason, after recording 17 goals and 35 assists in 79 regular season games. He set career highs in goals and assists in 2008-09 with 22 goals and 51 assists, in addition to leading the NHL with a +36 rating. Krejci signed a three-year extension through the 2011-12 season on June 2, 2009.

Chay Genoway returning another season. Yeah!

Today Fighting Sioux fans every where are celebrating this morning's good news. I mean seriously this is really good news for the Fighting Sioux hockey team, because they get their all-American defenseman for another season. I would say that the return of Chay Genoway makes the UND Fighting Sioux hockey a much better puck moving team defensively. There is going to be a press conference at 13:00 hours today. This is one of the final pieces to the puzzle for the 2010-2011 season. I would believe that Chay Genoway is going to be one of the top candidates and possibly one of the front runners (top three) for the Hobey Baker Memorial Awards as well.

Grand Forks, ND --- Chay Genoway has decided to return to UND for his senior season with a medical redshirt that has recently been granted.

The free agent could have pursued free agent NHL offers, but for the second summer in a row, has decided to leave them on hold in order to play for the Sioux.

Genoway got off to a great start in 2009-10, scoring 10 points in the first nine games of the season, but suffered a concussion on an illegal hit from Aaron Marvin in mid-November. He never played again the rest of the season, bothered by post-concussion problems. [Grand Forks Herald]

Bruins Win, but…

I think the Boston Bruins were lucky tonight to get the win tonight, their goal tender stopped 34/35 shots and held them in the game when the Bruins were on their heels with the Flyers buzzing. Now with the loss the Flyers have no room for error what so ever, however they will not go quitely into the night, they will put up a big fight. I expect them to play with heart and I and I expect a very rough game on Friday night. Sure they Flyers can come back and win this series anything is possible, however, highly unlikely that they do. The injury to David Krejci if it ends up being true is devastating. Krejci is a great center that kills penalties and plays on the Power Play. The hit was clean and what can you do hockey is a physical game.

The B's may have to do so without defenseman Adam McQuaid and center David Krejci, the latter of whom, according to Claude Julien, was sent to a Philadelphia hospital for evaluation on an undisclosed injury he suffered just prior to the Bruins' second goal at 5:45 of the first period. Krejci assisted on the goal scored by Miroslav Satan.

A source told NESN.com that Krejci needed a wheelchair when he left the building, and John Boruk of CSN Philly tweeted that Krejci broke his wrist on the play, will have surgery in Baltimore and is out for the series and likely the season.

Krejci was carrying the puck through the neutral zone and was cleaned out by an open ice hit from Flyers captain Mike Richards. Krejci laid on the ice as the puck popped loose to Lucic, who then found a streaking Satan for the goal.

As Krejci finally made his way to the bench, he appeared to be favoring his shoulder area, but the actual injury is still unknown. After Julien announced that Krejci went to the hospital, there was rampant speculation in the press box that Krejci had suffered a concussion.

Julien noted that he felt it was a "clean hit" and had no problems with it [NESN.COM]

Bruins push the Flyers to the brink of elimination; Bruins lose David Krejci to injury

The Boston Bruins push the Philadelphia Flyers to the brink of elimination by beating the Goons Flyers 4-1 and lead the best of seven series 3-0. I think it's safe to assume that the Boston Bruins will probably win this series, they would have to lose four games in a row.



The win for the Bruins proved costly as they lost one of their top 6 forwards David Krejci to a possible upper body injury, it sounds like from the early reports that Krejci might have a suffered a separated shoulder. David Krejci was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com is reporting that it could be a seperated shoulder. That is not good news. [Video of the Richards hit on David Krejci] You can see that it's not a dirty hit at all. John Boruk from CSNFlyers is reporting that David Krejci with a broken wrist. Will have surgery in Baltimore. Out for series and likely season. That is horrible news.

Chances of a series win good

NOTES: The Philadelphia Flyers are 31-31 over all record in Game 3s. The Flyers have never come back to win a playoff series when trailing 0-2 and returning home to play Games 3 and 4. The Bruins are 16-0 all time when they lead a best-of-seven series 3 games to 0.

Blake Wheeler got his first career Stanley Cup play goal on the power play. Wheeler had been snake bit so far this spring.

Carcillo embellishment

Here is the video of the Dan Carcillo embellishment from game two that we have heard so much about, it's pretty obvious that Carcillo is a good actor, I am beginning to wonder if he didn’t take classes in drama. The series between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers has been a hard fought series with quite a bit of banter back in forth in the media and on the blogs...

Standing Rock votes to table petitions on Fighting Sioux nickname

You have to wonder if the Standing Rock Tribal Council will ever have a vote on the issue, it's not looking good. I guess those 1,004 signatures don't mean a thing if the Standing Rock Tribal Council don't allow their members to have a vote.

Grand Forks Herald --- The Standing Rock Tribal Council decided again Tuesday to delay action on petitions that had been submitted by tribal supporters of UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

The petitions, bearing 1,004 signatures — about half the number of people who voted in the last tribal election — ask that the council allow the people of Standing Rock to have a voice in determining whether the university may keep the 80-year-old nickname.

A spokeswoman in Chairman Charles Murphy’s office said the council “tabled” the issue as it organized the agenda for its scheduled two-day meeting, but she did not know whether council members intended to bring the matter up again later.

Archie Fool Bear, a leader of the petition drive, said the council didn’t formally table the petition but delayed action again “because the tribe did not receive official notice that the State Board (of Higher Education) had acted on the name.”

The vote was 6-6 on a motion to affirm the council’s April 6 decision not to discuss the nickname issue until the State Board “finalized” its decision to retire the nickname. Vice Chairman Mike Faith broke the tie, Fool Bear said.

Faith and other council members did not return calls Tuesday. Chairman Murphy was traveling because of a death in the family and did not participate in the meeting.

“I don’t know how much more quibbling we can have on this,” Fool Bear said. “I guess we’ll have to get a copy of the letter the board sent” to Kelley.

Paul Kelly interview with From the Rink...

This is a must read interview with some really interesting points affecting the landscape of NCAA Division one hockey. Funny thing the Big Ten Hockey Conference keeps coming up. Yawn!

FTR: You mentioned the choices between junior hockey and the NCAA. Following your initial debut and the first few interviews you've done, there's been a negative response from the CHL. They've used the words "unfairly targeting" to describe the things that College Hockey Inc. has said about the CHL.

Kelly: I don't think we're unfairly targeting anybody. We need to provide information to people so that they can make informed decisions. Many times we need to draw distinctions between the experience of playing NCAA hockey as opposed to playing junior hockey in Canada. In order to do that, you need to point out the pros and cons for both of us. If that's viewed as a negative by them, I would say that whatever statements we've made are backed up by solid evidence and facts. If we make a claim that some of the statements that they make and some of the information that they put forth on their website regarding their education packages are somewhat suspect, then players need to read the fine print. We've found many instances of players that have had difficulties of players obtaining their educational benefits. In fact, a vast majority of players that have played in the CHL have never tapped into those benefits - the rate of kids that never get an education, that never get a diploma is very high in the CHL. I think that it's important for players, whether they are from the United States or Canada to know these facts. I'm not saying that NCAA hockey doesn't have it's own bumps and bruises and issues, because it does, but I think it's fair for us to point out some of these things to players and their families. We're not doing it to be purposefully negative, that's not our intention at all. I've always said that the CHL may be the right course for some kids and I think that means that NCAA hockey and the juniors programs in Canada need to co-exist.

FTR: One piece of the Canadian program that does co-exist with the NCAA is the BCHL. So many kids come out of the BCHL and play NCAA hockey. As an Edmonton writer, one that sticks out for me is Riley Nash from Cornell. Are you going to work with the BCHL at all?

Kelly: There are a number of programs up there, the BCHL is one of them, the Albert Junior Hockey League is another, the Prince Edward Island League is another. I actually traveled out to British Columbia and spoke at the BCHL All Star banquet, attended the Owners and Board of Governors Meeting for the league and spoke very candidly with them about our support of what they're doing. The answer to your question is yes, the BCHL is doing a terrific job, they're producing some great players, they've put a great number of very talented kids into NCAA programs. We have every desire to see that continue.

FTR: There are so many kids coming out of California now that have to travel a long way if they want to play Division I hockey, and many of them choose to go to the WHL instead. Is California expansion of NCAA Division I hockey a priority?

Kelly: Frankly, the first college or university that decides to add Division I hockey in California will have just an absolute bounty in front of it. They will have their pick of some of the most talented kids in the country and they've got some great young kids coming up. If we could ever convince USC or UCLA or Stanford or California to add a program, they would have such an immediate impact. It's impossible in football or basketball to start a college program and think that you could have a team that could compete for the national championship any time soon. That's not the case in hockey. You could start a hockey program, get the right coach and bring in the right recruits and within a matter of three or four years, you could be challenging for the national title. I think that many of these big schools need to take a look at that and realize that many of the teams in Division I do so very successfully from an economic perspective. Most of the teams in the WCHA do very well. They fill their buildings, there is a lot of excitement, it attracts students, not just athletes, to the school. It's another activity that they can offer to the student body that brings excitement and enthusiasm. We've got three NHL teams in California and there is a hockey following out there, so I think it's a natural fit for one of those schools.

Personally, I don’t see college hockey being all that successful in the west past DU and C.C., just my humble opinion, while there is some youth hockey out west it’s definitely not as strong as strong as Minnesota, Massachusetts and Michigan, where would they get a majority of their recruits from?

One could make the argument that UAA and UFA have had very limited success and they have decent to very good high school hockey in Alaska. Unfortunately for both schools there has been an out migration of good home grown hockey players to the lower 48 states. These schools would be in direct competition the WHL and the WCHA for recruits. If the western schools could support hockey successfully wouldn't they attempted it already?

Mark Recchi on Daniel Carcillo

Here was an interview that Mark Recchi did for WEEI.COM and it can be found on the Big Bad Blog. Couple of interesting things that stuck out.

Is Daniel Carcillo funny? He never stops yapping.

He’s actually not funny at all. There’s nothing funny to his repertoire at all
----------
Savard really made a statement by taking those guys on. Are you beating the Flyers at their own game?

Well, that is our game, too. That is what makes us a factor. It is almost like people wake the sleeping giant. We get involved in these games, we seem to really get the emotion and are able to play a better hockey game. It is great that Savvy — he could have just laid down after he got hit but he is a competitive guy and he is showing that he is willing to stick up and is ready for this battle. And that is important. That is fine; we’ll kill those penalties and do the job for them.

Did you hear Mike Richards say that he was going to give Savard another concussion, and if so do you have a problem with it?

I didn’t hear it. I just actually heard about it for the first time last night, so that is just really in the competition unless he goes out and acts on it, then we have to look into it. But that is just part of the heat of the moment and a lot of things get said on the ice that really can’t get repeated half of the time.

Another CBC Hockey Montage

The best NHL Hockey Coverage on television.

Back by popular demand more Coach's Corner from CBC

May 1st Coach's Corner episode - Don Cherry on Daniel Carcillo's antics...

May 4th Coach's Corner espisode - More Don Cherry as he talks about Daniel Carillo again.