Leipold's guy made clear his philosophy.
"I want an up-tempo, aggressive, fast style of hockey," Fletcher said. "We want to dictate the pace of play to our opponent."
That should be welcome news to Minnesota fans who had grown weary of Lemaire's counterpunching style, which relied on a strong neutral zone trap to force turnovers and create rare scoring chances. (Read the rest of the story here)
Appearing at his introductory news conference in the main lobby of Xcel Energy Center, Fletcher promised to bring "an up-tempo, aggressive, fast style of hockey" to an organization that has been known for its neutral-zone trap and close-to-the-vest approach throughout its nine-year existence.
Fletcher stressed that he's not instilling "run-and-gun" hockey, but changes are coming. "We want to dictate the pace of play," he said.
(read the whole story here)
TSN --- The NHL has handed Carolina Hurricanes forward Ryan Bayda a $2,500 fine as a result of the match penalty he was assessed in the third period of Game 2 Thursday night.
Bayda was given a match penalty at 18:41 of the third period after cross-checking Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Kris Letang in the chin. It was considered a deliberate attempt to injure, but Bayda will not be suspended for his actions.
Bayda was assessed the match penalty after exchanging high sticks with Letang behind Pittsburgh's net toward the end of the Penguins' 7-4 win. The incident led to two fights and Letang also received a game misconduct.
• Let's see: Ryan Bayda(notes) took Kris Letang(notes) hard to the boards on an icing call with 1:19 left in the game and then cross-checked him to the face. Intent? Check. Stick work? Check. Blow to the head? Check. "Message sending" at the end of the game? Check. Match penalty? Check. It doesn't get more cut-and-dry for supplementary discipline by the standards the NHL has established this postseason. Which of course means Colin Campbell will instead nominate Bayda for the Nobel Peace Prize ...
Bayda facing possible suspension
newsobserver.com blogs --- Ryan Bayda faces a potential suspension after he was assessed a match penalty for an incident late in Thursday’s 7-4 loss to the Penguins.
Bayda exchanged high-sticks with Kris Letang during a scrum with 1:19 to play, sparking a pair of fights — one between Tim Gleason and Letang, the other between Patrick Eaves and Miroslav Satan.
Letang was assessed a game misconduct and Bayda a match penalty, which denotes an attempt to injure and carries with it an automatic review suspension pending a review by the league office. Bayda was unavailable for comment after the game.
“I didn’t get an explanation as to what happened,” Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice said. “Two players came together and it was a high-sticking match, but I didn’t get any more than that.”
An NHL spokesman said the match penalty was assessed for a cross-check with intent to injure.
Omaha --- Earlier this week, Minnesota assistant Mike Hastings, a former Lancer head coach, said he hadn't decided whether he would apply.
Guentzel, 46, who coached the Lancers from 1992 through 1994, was one of four finalists when Kemp became the program's only head coach. He withdrew after interviewing when he was promoted to associate head coach at Minnesota, his alma mater. He stayed with the Golden Gophers until last season, when he moved to Colorado College.
"I've been an assistant for 15 years, and the people who have worked with me understand that it's been my dream to be a head coach at the Division I level," Guentzel said. "Every year I sit back and see if there's anything out there to pursue, but there's not a lot of turnover in our sport, and after 14 or 15 years you start to wonder if it's ever going to happen."
Quinn, 42, was Kemp's top assistant from 1996 through 2004 before returning to his alma mater. He helped guide the Terriers to the national championship last month.
"I'm in a situation where it's difficult to leave for any reason," Quinn said. "But my goal is to be a head coach and I'm not getting any younger. For me there are two jobs that separate themselves, and that's UNO and BU."
Besides Kemp and Guentzel, the other finalists for the job 13 years ago were former Lancers coach Frank Serratore, now head coach at Air Force, and Greg Drechsel, now associate head coach at Clarkson. Neither has returned phone calls to The World-Herald.
Other prospects include former North Dakota coach Dean Blais, now coaching Fargo of the USHL; Miami (Ohio) assistant Chris Bergeron; New Hampshire assistant David Lassonde, and former UNO assistant Steve Rohlik, now an assistant at Minnesota-Duluth. None has returned phone calls.
ALSO there is talk that WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod will be in Omaha this week to talk with Nebraska-Omaha officials about joining the league. At the same time, Omaha's new athletic director, Trev Alberts, is in the midst of a search for a hockey coach, to replace Mike Kemp. The most recent rumor is that Dean Blais is the coaching front-runner, while UMD assistant Steve Rohlik is a former Omaha assistant.
Give us your ideas for a new UND nickname
What is the perfect nickname for the University of North Dakota? Alumni,
fans and regular readers have been passionate about the nickname issue.
Now that the Fighting Sioux name is likely on its way out, it's your
turn to suggest a new nickname. Post your ideas below as a comment.
Our normal commenting guidelines apply - nothing offensive.
– Had a nice conversation with freshman defenseman Patrick Wiercioch, the gifted NHL-bound Canadian, about his looming decision to stay at DU or sign with the Ottawa Senators. Wiercioch previously said he intends to stay, but he probably hasn’t heard Ottawa’s best pitch yet. One thing that could help keep him around is the chance to play for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. If he stays at DU, he almost certainly will have the opportunity to play in the WJC, but if he signs and is a regular for Ottawa, he almost certainly wont. Patrick noted that there were eight NHL rookies last December _ TB’s Stamkos and LA’s Doughty, to name two _ that could have played for Team Canada, but none were released from their NHL teams. In my humble opinion, Wiercioch is better than Ottawa’s Brian Lee, who would have been a senior at North Dakota last season, so signing with the Sens could quickly end Wiercioch’s dream of playing in the WJC. Of course, DU would love to let him go in December, and possibly be a WJC teammate with Pioneers classmate Joe Colborne. The publicity of having two Team Canada guys in the WJC would be enormous.
On Friday, as news spread out of the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy hearing that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman indicated that if the team had to be relocated in Canada, the league would favour Winnipeg over Hamilton -- the reaction, as always, was cautionary.
First, we stressed that Bettman's "alleged" comments came in the form of an affidavit quoting a third party, Coyotes' lawyer Earl Scudder.
Second, we stressed that Bettman qualified the statement, that "if the Coyotes had to be relocated to Canada," the NHL would prefer Winnipeg over Hamilton.
Well, turns out there's no need to stress anymore. According to documents filed in court, the Globe and Mail reported Monday that Bettman e-mailed deputy commissioner Bill Daly on April 4, after talking to Scudder, and wrote: "I told (Scudder) that at some point, if we don't have an alternative, I will have to start looking at the moving (of the Coyotes) option."
When Scudder asked about Southern Ontario and Hamilton, Bettman said, "I responded that it's a league opportunity, the building (Copps Coliseum) is too old etc. and, frankly, if this team had to move it should first be offered to Winnipeg."
Note that Bettman did not qualify the latter statement with a "if we have to move to Canada." He said if the Coyotes had to be relocated, they should be offered to Winnipeg. Period.
It really makes you wonder what the folks at True North Sports and Entertainment aren't telling us. Do you think the NHL -- which has several (probably more than we know) financially troubled franchises other than Phoenix -- hasn't lined up a list of potential locations in a worst-case scenario?
Do you think Bettman or Daly haven't called Chipman or a True North representative, or even met with them, to say, "Hey, remember when you guys (Chipman and TNSE president and CEO Jim Ludlow) flew to New York 18 months ago to pitch Winnipeg as an NHL city to our board of governors? Just wondering, are you still interested? Do you have the financial wherewithal to afford an NHL team?"
(Read the rest of the article here)
NHL decides not to suspend Penguins winger Cooke
Pittsburgh--- Penguins left winger Matt Cooke will not be suspended for a knee-on-knee hit on Carolina forward Erik Cole during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final Monday at Mellon Arena.
It was not immediately known if Cooke will be fined by the National Hockey League office.
Cole was injured on the hit, which occurred during the third period, and played sparingly after that.
Neither he nor teammate Tuomo Ruutu, who also was injured Monday, participated in Carolina's practice today. Hurricanes Coach Paul Maurice said their status for Game 2tomorrow night has not been determined.
Dave from the illegal curve had this posted up. I must say that I am bored with watching the Redwings play hockey. It's like I am watching a team from the Finnish or Swedish elite league play. I am holding out hope that the Chicago Blackhawks will rebound and win two games in Chicago and turn this series around.
The Fighting Sioux name in North Dakota will soon be no more. The university’s controversial moniker is getting an update, thus appeasing the NCAA as well as actual Sioux nation members from two of the state’s three tribes, who would both need to change stances and endorse the name in order to keep it (the third is already on board).
Over the years there has been much debate over the topic; fans insist their love of the name and logo stems from pride and respect. Charges of racism are often quite wounding to UND supporters, though the hockey team’s greatest benefactor never really helped matters.
Ralph Engelstad, whose name graces the Fighting Sioux’s sparkling arena (which hosted the world juniors in 2005), was criticized for throwing parties in a Nazi-themed secret room at his Imperial Casino in Las Vegas on Hitler’s birthday in the 1980s. His $100 million donation to UND for the arena was contingent on the university keeping the Fighting Sioux name. Engelstad died of cancer in 2002.
But the name is likely a moot point now. The fans can regard themselves as Sioux Nation as long as they want, but the sweaters and pennants will have to be changed. The school that gave us Ed Belfour, Zach Parise and T.J. Oshie will still churn out excellent players, so what should the team be named?
Coming up with a new tag for a school so identified with the old one is tricky. And since the most obvious name for a team from North Dakota – the Bison – is already being used by North Dakota State, UND will have to get creative.
One way to keep the theme of the Fighting Sioux without the inflammatory bits, would be to call the team the Warriors. It’s a little plain, but it’s also vague enough to not be offensive. After all, a warrior can be anyone from a Sioux combatant to Peter Forsberg. Animal names are also very good. Unfortunately, North Dakota doesn’t have a very intimidating menagerie.
The state bird is the western meadowlark and North Dakota is sometimes known as the ‘Flickertail State’ because of a local squirrel. Taking to the ice as the North Dakota Flickertails would provide a little too much ammo for the Badgers and Bulldogs of the WCHA.
The state horse is the nakota, which is a cool-sounding name if you don’t mind the tongue-twister of saying “North Dakota Nakotas.” The Utah Utes have survived, after all.
David Krejci and Phil Kessel, two of the Bruins' best young forwards, are slated to undergo surgery this offseason. Both are questionable to be ready for the start of the regular season according to general manager Peter Chiarelli.
Defenseman Andrew Ference will undergo groin surgery next month, and forward Chuck Kobasew confirmed he played against the Canes with two broken ribs.
"There's a variety of injuries we had throughout the course of the playoffs," said Chiarelli this afternoon. "Every team has injuries. But we seemed to have a few more than other teams. I have to hand it to the players for playing through those injuries."
Krejci, 23, will have hip surgery next month. He is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp.
Kessel, 21, will have shoulder surgery on Thursday to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum. Kessel is also not expected to be ready for camp.
(Links to the story) (Link to David Krejci Injury)
Other Bruins who played through injuries included Mark Recchi (kidney stone), Marc Savard (knee), Milan Lucic (toe), and Zdeno Chara (shoulder, knee, and groin). Chara will not require surgery on any of his injuries. Savard noted that his knee problem probably would have kept him out for two weeks during the regular season.
Hockey assistant staying :
Gophers assistant hockey coach Mike Hastings said he is flattered to be mentioned as a candidate to be head coach at Nebraska-Omaha, but he is not pursuing the job. 'I am focused right now on doing everything I can for the University of Minnesota,' said Hastings, who coached the Omaha Lancers of the USHL for 14 years before joining the U staff in 2008-09. Mike Kemp resigned as UNO coach Thursday to become the school's associate athletic director."
