ESPN - The NHL plans to finalize a change to its regular-season tiebreaking system for 2010-11 at a Sept. 14 Board of Governors' meeting, a league source said.
Under the new plan, the first tiebreaker will be a combination of regulation time and overtime victories, with shootout wins excluded. In the past, the first tiebreaker had been total wins of any kind.
Shortly after the Silvertips signed Birkholz, Doug Soetaert, the team's vice president and general manager talked about him. "Obviously we look for Josh to come in and be a top six forward for us during the coming year," Soetaert said.The Silvertip Vice President Doug Soetaert's statement sounds like a recruitment advertisement for the CHL...
"We develop these players. They all have aspirations to move on to the NHL as fast as they can. If they are here one year, that's great. If two, so be it. But that's our sole purpose, to develop players as fast as we can."
Birkholz will be on a team with only two other Americans. Eighteen of his teammates on the major junior hockey team are Canadians, two are Finns.
"With Josh, he wants to continue his education online at the University of Minnesota and we respect all that," Soetaert said. "But he will have the opportunity to play a lot and develop to a high level."
Birkholz was taken in the third round of the 2009 NHL draft by the Florida Panthers.
It may not be on the official docket, but the recruiting war between the NCAA and the Canadian Hockey League is still expected to produce some lively discussion at the World Hockey Summit in Toronto.Like I have said before, “I think both leagues have a lot to offer and have their strong points as well as their not so good points.” NCAA and the CHL are both proven paths to the NHL and professional hockey. I do like the idea by Chris Dilks of having a gentleman’s agreement with the CHL like the WCHA does amongst its coaches.
"It's not on the agenda, but we've certainly indicated to Hockey Canada and USA Hockey that we think there is an opportunity to sit down," said Ron Robison, a CHL vice-president and commissioner of the Western Hockey League.
"We're committed to continuing to try to improve relationships with USA Hockey, NCAA Hockey and so forth. We have a responsibility in North America to the development system to do that in the best interest of the players. Our goal is to attempt to sit down (with them). Whether we can do that at the summit or soon thereafter, that will be our objective."
The feud between the CHL and NCAA has turned bitter since the hiring of former NHL Players' Association boss Paul Kelly as executive director of College Hockey Inc. Working on behalf of the NCAA, Kelly has attempted to discredit the CHL, along with elements of its programs, practices and policies.
Based on some of the fireworks to date, Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson wouldn't be surprised if there's more discussion during the summit.
"I'm sure through it all there are going to be comments on it," he said. "I think we should be real clear from (the perspective of Hockey) Canada: We want to improve our system, we want to make sure that what we control in our country is the best it can be. It doesn't mean players don't have the option to go NCAA. We certainly aren't saying negative things about NCAA. We're just trying to make the Canadian system better because that's under our umbrella.
"I think the key thing is, everyone should promote the things they're doing well. We're seeing bashing coming from NCAA and I don't like that. I think NCAA has some very positive things and that's what they should stick to, as the CHL does. The CHL has done a good job in their scholarship program. I would love to see the CIS jump more to the forefront and look at development using their universities and even the Canadian colleges to help players that want to go to school in Canada and play hockey."
[Windsorstar.com]
TORONTO – Two-on-two? Not gonna happen. But three-on-three? Now that’s something we could see in NHL overtime someday.It will be interesting to see where the NHL goes with this. While some hockey fans like ties in hockey, personally I can't stand a hockey game that ends in a tie, I call them sister kissings. A tie feels like a loss to me in some instances.
Of all the ideas being tested this week at the league’s Research, Development and Orientation Camp, the most realistic ones with the biggest potential to impact the game involve overtime. The league is looking at two-on-two and three-on-three concepts, as well as four-on-four with teams switching ends to create long line changes.
Most everyone agrees the shootout has become too common. The debate is over what to do about it.
”I’d like to look at anything that reduces the number of games that are decided by a shootout,” Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke said. ”I mean, basically we’re deciding an astonishing percentage of games with a shootout. We never envisioned that when we approved that rule.”
When the NHL introduced the shootout in 2005-06, the thought was that teams would go all-out in the five-minute, four-on-four overtime period, trying to earn two points in the standings.
TORONTO — A hybrid icing rule aimed at reducing dangerous collisions received some extra attention at the NHL's research and development camp.
Organizers decided to extend the rule to Wednesday's second session because they felt they hadn't seen enough of it in the first one. The proposed change gives linesmen the ability to make a ruling on whether a play will be called an icing based on which player reaches the faceoff dot first.
It's designed to eliminate violent crashes into the end boards that have resulted from players chasing the puck. A number of NHLers have been injured in that manner — including former Minnesota Wild defenceman Kurtis Foster, who missed most of the 2008-09 season after breaking his leg while racing back to touch the puck for an icing.
Ken Hitchcock, who is coaching one of the teams at the development camp, liked what he saw from the hybrid icing rule.
“It's a competitive and safe way of playing,” said Hitchcock. “You would almost completely eliminate those big injuries that come and yet you're still creating the competition for (the puck). ... For me, it's a real good idea.
Is the hiring of defense-guru Wilson a sign the team has lost a little faith in Richards' and his system to win games? Mike Ramsey, who was the outgoing defensive guru noted philosophical differences as part of the reason for deciding to step away as part of the Wild's trio of coaches. So far nothing public has been stated that really points to a rift but Fletcher clearly is willing to place who he wants above the desires of the head coach. I know that many Wild fans steadily began to question Richards' decision-making especially after holding an optional practice after a particularly paltry effort the night before. So could upper management be wanting Richards to be on the hot seat unless the team shows some real improvement? Maybe, because the franchise is finally feeling a bit more pressure from hockey-mad fans as demonstrated by the struggles to sell season tickets, especially in the lower bowl where you can now purchase 10, 20 and 30 game season ticket packages for the first time in the history of the team. The best cure for those sorts of woes is winning and I think Richards would be foolish to think he would not catch some flak from the ownership if the team again finds itself mired in a mediocre season. The fact of the matter is the team is spending near the cap ceiling, and Wild owner Craig Leipold is going to want to see some return on that investment. I think many Wild fans are wanting the same thing, and they're hoping to avoid a complete rebuild even if that really may be the best solution in order to achieve long-term success.I think we need to give Chuck Fletcher the benefit of the doubt here and I also think Wild fans need to be a little patient when it comes to the Wild Coach Todd Richards, the former general manager Doug Riesbrough left the Wild hockey in shambles and it’s going to take a long time to correct the mess that was left behind.
[State of Hockey]
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. - The Central Collegiate Hockey Association will continue to use shootouts and a three-point system in league play, as determined by a vote at the CCHA Council Meeting in Dearborn, Mich., Aug. 16-17.
In addition, the council voted for the CCHA to begin using standardized media timeouts in all league games and non-conference games hosted by CCHA teams. In 2008 the CCHA became the first Division I men’s ice hockey conference to institute the shootout in league play. For the 2009-10 season, the CCHA adopted a standings format for league play where a team that wins in regulation or overtime receives three points, a team that wins a shootout is awarded two points, a team that loses a shootout gets one point, and a team that loses in regulation or overtime earns no points. This past season 25 CCHA games went to a shootout, with Alaska being the most frequent participant at eight shootouts.
“I think it’s 50-50. If I get the phone call that says he’s been moved to X team, I wouldn’t be surprised. But, having said that, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if the clock ticks midnight (Sunday) night and he’s still a Toronto Maple Leaf,” said Curran, who spoke with Burke Saturday morning.
While Burke has said all along that he’ll happily keep Kaberle if he doesn’t get an offer he deems worthy of an all-star calibre defender carrying a $4.25 million (U.S.) price tag — albeit with just one season remaining on his deal — it is thought that the GM is assessing somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 different trade scenarios.
But Curran believes, no matter what the level of interest, nothing can be assumed.
“It’s an anxious time for Tomas as it is for the Leafs,” said the agent. “I think at this point, it’s probably better for everyone who is on the outside looking in, to just sit back with interest and wait to see what happens. I wouldn’t be surprised either way.”
Curran, as has been reported, said the Leafs have asked him if Kaberle would consider a contract extension if a trade isn’t made. The answer, of course, is yes. The 32-year-old defender has stated all along what he wants to remain a Leaf.
“There’s no sense getting into any of that right now. Let’s just wait and see if he is a Leaf by midnight (Sunday) or not,” said Curran. [Toronto Star]
Arbitrator Richard Bloch's ruling on the Ilya Kovalchuk grievance yesterday could affect the registration of Marc Savard's seven-year, $28.05 million contract.
In Bloch's decision, acquired by Team 1200 legal analyst Eric Macramalla, the arbitrator upheld the NHL's rejection of Kovalchuk's 17-year, $102 million contract. In the decision, a footnote includes Savard's contract (others include those of Chris Pronger, Roberto Luongo, and Marian Hossa) as featuring a similar structure to Kovalchuk's rejected deal. Savard will be paid $7 million in 2010-11 and 2011-12; $6.5 million in 2012-13; $5 million in 2013-14; $1.5 million in 2014-15; then backdives to $525,000 in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
According to the footnote, Savard's contract has been registered but is being investigated once more by the league. According to the collective bargaining agreement, the NHL can conduct an investigation to determine whether circumvention took place even after a contract has been approved and registered.
"[W]hile the contracts have, in fact, been registered, their structure has not escaped League notice: those [Standard Player Contracts] are being investigated currently with at least the possibility of a subsequent withdrawal of the registration," the footnote reads. "It is also the case that the figures in Kovalchuk's case are demonstrably more dramatic, including a 17-year term length, a $102,000,000 salary total, and precipitous drop that lasts for the final six years of this contract." [Boston Globe]
When Central Collegiate Hockey Association officials gather next week in Dearborn for annual meetings, they are expected to discuss the possibility of adding a 12th team to the league.Wow! I am speechless. Last year I said this, “I have to say that I smell bullshit here. Something doesn't add up and I am not buying it. So are we to believe that UAH isn't good enough to play in the CCHA? This is a league that includes FSU 12-19-7, LSSU 11-20-8, and BGSU 11-24-3. The bottom half of the league is stuffed with mediocre - crappy teams that would have a very tough time beating UAH. UAH also has a nicer arena and draws better crowd than the teams deemed worthy of being in the CCHA.” [Click - for distances and attendance]
The target: Penn State.
"They are a very attractive choice -- very attractive," CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos told The Detroit News on Tuesday. "They're in a different market than we're in, more and more U.S. players are on college rosters, and there's tremendous growth of the sport in Pennsylvania."
[The Detroit News]
Elitism Definition: - is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who supposedly form an elite — a select group of people with, intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most weight or those who view their own views as so; whose views and/or actions are most likely to be constructive to society as a whole; or whose extraordinary skills, abilities or wisdom render them especially fit to govern...There has to be another angle that isn’t being discussed here. It doesn’t take an economics major to note that the majority of the CCHA teams are in the state of Michigan. Unless you don’t read the news or watch it on TV you will know that the state of Michigan is in dire states and suffering from 13.2% unemployment. Whole blocks of houses in Detroit Michigan are gone.
After a ton of speculation, Chicago signed former Minnesota defenseman Nick Leddy to an entry-level deal July 27. Yes, Chicago has suffered through a salary cap crunch, and they need bodies. But there is no reason to allow these late signings to continue.I like what Bruce is saying here and I agree that NCAA hockey players should have the ability to go to their training camps and if they are not signed they should be able to return to their college hockey team without penalty as long as they haven't signed a contract and recieved a signing bonus.
The NHL and NCAA need a defined partnership. No, that wouldn't stop CHL teams from poaching, but it would allow for a better working relationship between the NHL and college hockey, a growing entity in the United States that continues to produce more and more professional talent.
More specifically, there needs to be a deadline after which NHL teams can no longer pursue NCAA talent. It might encourage more NHL franchises to send their draft picks to the major junior ranks, but it also gives both sides a defined date to work with. However, any partnership needs a compromise. In this case, the NCAA must get rid of the rule that prevents kids from taking part in training camps.
Any drafted player should have the right to participate in NHL training camp -- at least on weekends, when they don't have to worry about attending classes. Giving NHL teams the ability to invite college players to camp would at least give them another vehicle to evaluate these players, even if they aren't going to be allowed to sign them.
A former University of North Dakota defenseman, Wilson brings a ton of experience to the Wild's relatively-inexperienced bench. He has spent the past 20 years as an assistant or associate coach with the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning.There has been an on going debate this summer about the state of college hockey and how College Hockey has been losing top blue chip recruits to the OHL. While I don’t like seeing players leave early and sign with their professional teams, I would rather see that player play with their college team for one or two seasons than not have them play in college at all.
Wilson began coaching hockey 24 years before Todd Richards’ playing career even ended. In fact, when Wilson began coaching his alma mater, the University of North Dakota, in 1978 as an assistant, Richards was just 12 years old.
He turns 60 today and summers in Bemidji. As I've mentioned on here and Twitter, the delay had to do with working out the contract because Tampa Bay and Dallas each have to pick up a portion of his two-year deal.
After spending one season with the North Stars in 1992-93, Wilson moved to Dallas with the franchise’s relocation and spent the next 15 seasons with Dallas. Over that time, Wilson helped guide the team to seven division titles, two conference championships, two President’s Trophies and a 1999 Stanley Cup. [Russo's Rants]
I was then asked why I thought NCAA players were leaving school for the CHL or AHL. We could talk about the difference in educational opportunities and the number of games they can play or not play and the time available for them to spend in the weight room or not, but that's rather pointless because it's really all about having options.I think the NCAA could improve if they gave a kids more options like major junior hockey does. Personally, I like the option where if a kid tries out with his professional team and doesn’t make his NHL team, that player has the option of going back to his junior team and continuing his development. While I know it’s never going to be an option with NCAA division I hockey, I can see why some players might choose the CHL over the NCAA. Like others have said there is no one size fits all route to the NHL and college is still getting great players into NHL. I am not going to bash one or the other.
What's the difference between what Cam Flower did in signing a pro contract and Nick Leddy signing a pro contract?? Fowler has the option of going back to his junior team if he doesn't make the cut in Anahiem where as Leddy had to cut ties with the University of Minnesota because of NCAA eligibility rules. He doesn't have the same options that Fowler does and in my opinion, is making more of a commitment.
Some guys think they're ready. Some guys just want a change of scenery. Maybe there was a coaching change and the new coach wants to make changes that don't allow a particular player to develop into the best player he can be... The real problem is that we only see college players leaving for juniors because they can, but we NEVER see junior players leaving for the NCAA because they CAN'T and it really skews the perception that one is better than the other when really they're just different paths with different options available to them.
The Big Ten commissioner didn't see the 18-game conference basketball schedule being extended. But he did say that on the table is a possible Big Ten hockey championship, once another school adds hockey as a sport. Five conference schools now play the sport: Minnesota and Wisconsin in the WCHA, and Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.Sid are you sure they aren't talking about maybe a possible Big Ten Hockey Championship and maybe not a Big Ten Hockey Conference?
The London Knights have run against an old foe in the battle to sign Montreal Canadiens first-rounder Jarred Tinordi.
The coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is Jeff Jackson, a former Guelph Storm coach who once accused the Hunters' Knights of playing "prehistoric hockey."
Tinordi has committed to suit up for Jackson in South Bend, Ind., this fall. The Knights, who own the big defenceman's OHL rights, aren't giving up hope.
"We think he's a very good player," London coach Dale Hunter said, "and it's not like they're (Notre Dame) the best team in their league.
"They're not Boston (University) or anyone like that."
The Knights aren't the same club Jackson remembers, either. After his Storm departure in 2003, the Hunters transformed London into a team dominated by skilled forwards with puck possession and power-play success.
Jackson is regarded as one of the top coaches in U.S. college history. He guided Lake Superior State to two national titles in the 1990s, helped build the foundation of the United States national development program (where Tinordi played and captained the under-18 team to gold this year) and turned the Irish program around.
But Notre Dame finished a combined 13-17-8 last season. The Knights won 49 games and Hunter was named OHL coach of the year for a third time.
[London Free Press]
Toronto Sun - It's been a tough off-season for NCAA hockey teams and the NHL is responsible for most of the pain.
Although it's really nothing new, the exodus of players from American colleges to the pro or junior ranks seems to be more pronounced this year.
The trend continued Tuesday when Montreal Canadiens' first-round pick Jarred Tinordi bailed on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to join the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Tinordi hasn't signed with the Habs but jumping to the Knights allows him to attend training camp in Montreal, something that wouldn't have happened if he stuck with Notre Dame.
But Tinordi, the son of former NHLer Mark Tinordi, isn't even the only Canadiens prospect to walk away from school in the last month or so.
Louis Leblanc, the Habs' first-rounder from 2009, was forced to leave the Harvard Crimson after one season when he signed an entry-level contract with the Canadiens. He's eligible to play in the American Hockey League but instead joined the Montreal Junior of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Forward Jerry D'Amigo officially ended his short career with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute when he signed Wednesday. D'Amigo spent just one season at RPI, racking up 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 35 games.
In the last couple of weeks, first-rounder Kyle Palmieri has skated away from Notre Dame after agreeing to a contract with the Anaheim Ducks and Nick Leddy signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, leaving Minnesota in the process. Palmieri will start the season in the AHL and there's a good chance D'Amigo will wind up with the Marlies, although the Guelph Storm and Kitchener Rangers have their fingers crossed that the two U.S. junior teammates get sent to junior at some point.
Major junior teams gave the NCAA a couple of kicks of their own, though, snatching away some top-end talent at the last minute.
Lucas Lessio, playing with the Canadian under-18 team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, didn't live up to the verbal commitment he made to join Michigan in 2011 and opted instead to sign with the OHL's Oshawa Generals. Julian Melchiori did the same when he joined the Kitchener Rangers recently instead of heading to Massachusetts-Lowell for his freshman season.
Since April 1, 17 players gave up NCAA eligibility to sign with NHL teams, according to figures compiled by insidecollegehockey.com. Factor in the others, like Tinord, Lessio and Melchiori, all of whom never even showed up on campus, and you can see how hard the U.S. schools have been hit.
It's not unusual for players to leave college early, though. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, Blues defenceman Erik Johnson, Kings blueliner Jack Johnson, Oilers forward Andrew Cogliano and Canucks forward Mason Raymond all dropped out in 2007 to work in the NHL
TSN.CA ---- ontreal Canadiens first-round pick Jarred Tinordi is taking the more common route to the National Hockey League.
The London Free Press reports that the 18-year-old defenceman has chosen to play with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League next season, instead of joining Notre Dame.
With the move to the OHL, Tinordi will play a longer schedule and can attend the Canadiens' training camps. College players are not allowed to go to camps until they have left school and signed with their NHL team.
Tinordi, the son of former NHL blueliner Mark Tinordi, was taken 22nd overall by the Canadiens in June. The 18-year old was the captain of the U-18 U.S. National Development team last season.
NHL.COM --- Brian Burke, president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Wednesday that the club has agreed to terms on a three-year entry level contract with forward Jerry D’Amigo (pronounced dah-MEE-goh).
“We’ve been very pleased with Jerry’s progression over the past 12 months,” said Burke. “Seth Appert and the rest of the coaching staff at R.P.I. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) have done a really nice job of preparing Jerry for the next stage in his development. We look forward to having him at training camp.”
D’Amigo, 19, appeared in 35 games with the R.P.I. Engineers of the ECAC last season, recording 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) and 41 penalty minutes. The 5-11, 208-pound winger ranked fifth nationally in points per game by a rookie (0.97), led R.P.I. in game-winning goals (3), and finished second in shorthanded goals (1). For his efforts, D’Amigo was selected to the ECAC All-Rookie Team and he was named ECAC Hockey’s Rookie of the Year.
The native of Binghamton, New York, represented the United States at the 2010 World Junior Championship in Saskatchewan. D’Amigo finished tied for third in tournament scoring with 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) in seven games to help lead Team USA to a gold medal.
When Central Collegiate Hockey Association officials gather next week in Dearborn for annual meetings, they are expected to discuss the possibility of adding a 12th team to the league.This kind of stuff pisses me off, it's the CCHA commissioner acting like an elitist snob again. So lets make sure that I get this right; UAH not good enough, Penn State no existing program; but Penn State is good enough and an attractive option. I think college hockey owes it to UAH to find a home for the Chargers if an existing league is going to snub a team that needs a home for a team that isn't even on line yet.
The target: Penn State.
"They are a very attractive choice -- very attractive," CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos told The Detroit News on Tuesday. "They're in a different market than we're in, more and more U.S. players are on college rosters, and there's tremendous growth of the sport in Pennsylvania."
The CCHA includes Michigan, Michigan State, Ferris State, Lake Superior, Northern Michigan and Western Michigan.
Anastos confirmed Tuesday the CCHA's interest in Penn State less than a week after the Altoona (Pa.) Mirror reported that the school is on the verge of making men's and women's hockey Division I programs. The newspaper attributed the information to a source.
Men's and women's hockey currently are club teams at Penn State.
Anastos said there is no timeline for extending an invitation to Penn State, but confirmed he has exchanged e-mails with Penn State president Graham Spanier on the topic. Anastos also said Penn State officials recently toured hockey facilities at CCHA member schools.
"Obviously there's some interesting dynamics," Anastos said. "Certainly there's some commonality."
Attempts Tuesday to reach Penn State athletic director Tim Curley were unsuccessful. Members of the school's board of trustees have not discussed the issue publicly in meetings. The trustees' next meeting is Sept. 16. [From The Detroit News]
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins [team stats] say they’re cooperating with the NHL in its investigation of Marc Savard’s contract.
The league is looking into Savard’s contract after voiding one with a similar structure that went to Ilya Kovalchuk. The Devils had agreed to pay Kovalchuk $102 million over 17 years, with much of the money coming upfront. An arbitrator agreed that was meant to circumvent the salary cap.
Kovalchuk is back on the free agent market. It’s not clear what would happen if the league determines there’s a problem with the extension Savard signed last year. It pays him $28 million over seven years, with about $1 million of it in the last two years.
The league registered Savard’s contract in December but told the Bruins it would investigate. Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli says he met with league lawyers last week.
Yahoo! Sports is reporting that RPI forward Jerry D'Amigo will be signing a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, possibly as early as Wednesday.
D'Amigo, a native of Binghamton, was a sixth-round pick in last year's NHL draft by the Leafs. If he signs, the Leafs could assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, or he could play for the Ontario Hockey League's Kitchener Rangers, who hold his junior hockey rights.
He was the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year last season. [Parting Schotts]
NHL.COM ---
Ilya Kovalchuk is once again an unrestricted free agent as systems arbitrator Richard Bloch has determined the NHL was within its legal right to reject the 17-year, $102 million contract Kovalchuk signed with the New Jersey Devils in July.
Bloch heard arguments from both the NHL and the NHL Players' Association, which filed a grievance on Kovalchuk's behalf, over two days in Boston last week. His decision came late Monday afternoon. As a result of Bloch's ruling, Kovalchuk immediately returns to unrestricted free agent status.
Upon announcing the contract was rejected, NHL Deputy Commissioner said the League would not approve it because it was a "circumvention of the Collective Bargaining Agreement."
The Devils can choose to re-work the contract in hopes of getting it approved, or Kovalchuk could look elsewhere.
