Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski has been suspended for two games, without pay, for elbowing New York Islanders center John Tavares in a game Saturday, the NHL announced today.
With 17 seconds remaining in the first period of a game the Islanders would win 5-4, Jovanovski delivered an elbow to Tavares' head area and was assessed a major penalty for elbowing and a game misconduct.
Jovanovski, who was suspended for two games back in December, now is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. He will forfeit $158,536.59 in salary based on the number of games (82) in a season, rather than the number of days (193). The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Jovanovski will miss Coyotes' games Tuesday against San Jose and Thursday against New Jersey. He will be eligible to return Saturday against Minnesota. [NHL.com]
The Wild's 15-6 with Latendresse in the lineup and 8-1 when he scores a point. Since Dec. 15, Latendresse's eight even-strength goals lead the NHL. Remember in the first month when the Wild didn't have a prayer to score at even-strength? [Russo's Rants]Incidentally, the guy the Wild traded to the Montreal Canadians to get Latendresse, former Wild player Benoit Pouliot has only scored 4 goals in 9 games. Latendresse surpassed Pouliot’s production with the Habs in three periods of hockey. Not hard to see who got the best of that deal?
There’s great fear in Grand Forks that if the University of Minnesota makes a coaching change with its struggling program, Blais will return to his alma mater to coach the Gophers.
I’m not convinced the freedom-loving Blais would jump into that pressure cooker at his age. Blais cherishes the time to hunt and fish whenever possible. The demands of the Minnesota program would cut into that.
Nor am I convinced that Gopher athletics director Joel Maturi would change hockey coaches in a program that at least wins, while offering an extension to football coach Tim Brewster. How does that make sense?
There’s a saying in sports that a great coach can take his players and beat yours, or take your players and beat his.
I think of Blais in those terms. Many others do, too. That’s why there’s rampant speculation and fear that he’ll end up coaching the Gophers, even though Blais once said “a big city isn’t for me.”
But if they cut a big enough check, maybe it might be. If that happens, so be it. I love Dean Blais and wish him nothing but success and good fortune. If that happens to be at the tail end of his coaching career with Minnesota, my heart will be with him.
[Read the whole article right here]
There was speculation following the tournament that Team USA captain and Rangers' draft pick Derek Stepan would bolt Wisconsin to play junior hockey, but Slap Shots was told on Friday by a well-placed source that the center will complete his sophomore year with the Badgers.
The Blueshirts, we're told, believe Stepan needs another year of development either at school or in junior hockey before he's ready to turn pro, but are keenly interested in getting Wisconsin defenseman Ryan McDonagh -- acquired from Montreal in the Scott Gomez deal -- into the organization following the completion of this, his junior season.
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UND?Swing and a miss here. I would be willing to bet that College hockey probably outdraws Women's beach volleyball. Last time I checked UND is 5 points ahead of UMN, oh course the Sioux have two games in hand. That fact really is a mute point, while the Sioux are sitting in a tie for 5th place UND is sitting at 9th in the Pairwise will the Gophers are sitting at 25th.
Why does some idiot always feel the need to go on about UND? Does anyone in the Cities even care about UND? Why do UND fans feel the need … read more to continually grasp at getting attention for themselves? Could it be the rest of us have lives, have the Twins, the Wild, the Vikings, the Timberwolves, Big Ten DIVISION ONE sports that can keep us occupied on the sports scene. Here is a news flash for all UND fans: WE DON'T CARE, AND WE NEVER WILL! It's college hockey! Women's beach volleyball gets more TV airtime than college hockey. And if UND is so great, why were they only one point ahead of UM at the halfway point? Not much to be proud of for UND fans either.
RinkPiggie - You must be a closet Gophs fan because game after game you always comment about how they played. Here's a thought; if UND is so sweet, why don't you try watching one of thier games sometime? Maybe you live in the cities and can't watch your beloved Susie's. Can only watch UND in a 2 mile radius from the Ralph I suppose... while Minny can be seen far and wide on FSN...jealous much?I guess this moron hasn't got digital cable? You can get the Fighting Sioux on expanded digital cable if you get the sports package, UND’s entire hockey home games are covered on FCS. Also, that means if you have Direct TV you can also get them on channel 617. Also, there are many satellite television dealers that will sell you a FTA dish and you can get Fighting Sioux hockey that way as well. Another swing and a miss.
ND is a horrible place to live and you hicks all move to Minny the first chance you get; and than you pretend how horrible it is...what color is the sky in your world Mrs. Piggie? Go back to Tractor town; because nobody wants you here either.
DU rallied with a Tyler Ruegsegger goal in the final minute of regulation to beat gritty Alaska-Anchorage 3-2 at Magness Arena. The win kept DU in front of Minnesota-Duluth atop the WCHA heading into a bye week. The Pios next play Jan. 22 at Wisconsin, but some players may have to serve a suspension.Here is the penalty minutes from the Box Score. Notice for the most part how the penalties even up, the UAA player Chris Crowell got a double game disqualification, you don't see that happen very often. Your typical WCHA officiating.
At the buzzer, a brawl broke out near the DU penalty box, with at least five fights unfolding before the eyes of WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod. Some were minor grab-a-guy situations, but others heated up pretty good. It’s 11:02, past my deadline, and officials still haven’t ruled on penalties and probable suspensions. I hear DU’s Rhett Rakhshani and John Ryder are suspension candidates. I’m almost positive UAA’s Chris Crowell was one of two players to come off the bench and square up.
[Denver Post Hockey blog]
AKA-9 Lee Baldwin (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-10 Lee Baldwin (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-11 Lee Baldwin (5-GRASPING THE FACEMASK) 20:00
AKA-12 Jared Tuton (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-13 Jared Tuton (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-14 Jared Tuton (10-Game Disqualification) 20:00
AKA-15 Nick Haddad (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-16 Nick Haddad (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-17 Tommy Grant (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-18 Tommy Grant (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-19 Brad Gorham (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-20 Brad Gorham (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-21 Kevin Clark (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-22 Kevin Clark (2-Roughing) 20:00
AKA-23 Chris Crowell (10-Game Disqualification) 20:00
AKA-24 Chris Crowell (10-Game Disqualification) 20:00
AKA-25 Chris Crowell (2-Instigating) 20:00
DEN-6 John Lee (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-7 John Lee (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-8 William Wrenn (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-9 William Wrenn (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-10 William Wrenn (10-Game Disqualification) 20:00
DEN-11 John Ryder (10-Game Disqualification) 20:00
DEN-12 Joe Colborne (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-13 Joe Colborne (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-14 Patrick Wiercioch (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-15 Patrick Wiercioch (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-16 Rhett Rakhshani (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-17 Rhett Rakhshani (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-18 Tyler Ruegsegger (2-Roughing) 20:00
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End of Game
UND forward Corban Knight said after last night's game that he thought he was fine after crashing into the net in a hat trick attempt.Here is the official tweet from the UND SID.
Turns out, he was not.
UND says that Knight will miss the next four to six weeks with an apparent lower-body injury. [UND Hockey]
The opportunities the site created for us were, and still are, endless. Through IllegalCurve.com we have met and interviewed some of the most significant players in the hockey world. Whether it be interviewing Mike Keenan and Vincent Lecavalier in person, or interviewing Eric Duhatschek and Scott Morrison on the radio show, we have been allowed to hear the latest and most in depth hockey information from the most informed members of the hockey world. Further, we have been able to meet many of the other bloggers and website writers and have an enjoyable and respectful hockey dialogue with them. Without IllegalCurve.com and your support none of that would have been possible.It’s a sad day for me because I really loved writing my weekly column and occasional random other occasional columns for the Illegal Curve. Richard ran a very good NHL hockey blog and it was a sad day to find out one of my favorite hockey blogs is now out of commission. Moving forward there is another opportunity that is in currently in the works and looks like it might possibly pan out very soon.
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College ice hockey’s continuing development and expansion received another boost during the summer of 1999 with the formation of College Hockey America. The seven charter members of College Hockey America were the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado), University of Alabama-Huntsville, United States Military Academy (New York), Bemidji State University (Minnesota), University of Findlay (Ohio), Niagara University (New York), and Wayne State University (Michigan). [CHA]Over the years the makeup of the CHA has changed dramatically. Finlay, Wayne State dropped hockey all together. The Air Force Academy and Army moved to the AHA, leaving the CHA with 5 teams.
Wisconsin's and Rangers draft pick Derek Stepan just texted me: "I got my medal!"I had a feeling this is what happened. Being around airports it’s not uncommon for luggage to get lost in the shuffle moving it from one plane to the other. A lot of times a plane will land and there isn’t much time to get the luggage off of the one flight and onto the connecting flight, especially if the plane landed in Minneapolis.
