Odds to win the 2011 Stanley Cup

Odds to win the 2011 Stanley Cup - [Link]
Vancouver Canucks - 3/1
Washington Capitals - 11/2
San Jose Sharks - 7/1
Philadelphia Flyers - 8/1
Boston Bruins - 17/2
Detroit Red Wings - 9/1
Pittsburgh Penguins - 11/1
Anaheim Ducks - 20/1
Tampa Bay Lightning - 20/1
Chicago Blackhawks - 22/1
Buffalo Sabres - 25/1
Los Angeles Kings - 30/1
Montreal Canadiens - 30/1
Nashville Predators - 30/1
Phoenix Coyotes - 30/1
New York Rangers - 35/1

So is Brett Hextall the next one to sign?

Brad Schlossman tweeted this last night on Twitter...

Re: Hextall rumors. Been working for two days to get something confirmed, but haven't gotten anything. I know PHX is after him.

Here is a postcast and at the 12:00 minute mark of the interview with Brad Treliving,
Vice President of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager for the Phoenix Coyotes said that they are trying to get a deal done with Brett Hextall. [click to listen]

Redwing77's NHL Playoff Preview and First Round Predictions

Ok, here's where I run down my first round predictions and what I think of every NHL Playoff team.

First off, congrats to all of the teams who made it to the second season. So sorry, Dallas, thanks for playing. Perhaps Dave Tippett wasn't in fact the right answer...right? Hello? Uh... my bad.

Secondly, so sorry for the fans of the Minnesota Wild. For a while there you thought you had a chance at the postseason. Kindof like how the Timberwolves feel every opening day in the NBA. However, shortly thereafter, that feeling goes away.

Anyways, the teams and the matchups:

First, Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh:

Predictable I'm sure but... I don't want Pittsburgh to win. They are the media darling and everyone loves them, I guess. With Crosby out, the media, to their credit, has found that the Penguins do in fact have more than just Crosby and Malkin. They've now heaped massive amounts of praise on Marc-Andre Fleury. True to their claims, he has been rather good this year. And that's saying something considering I hold Fleury in only slightly better regard than Carey Price.

I'm going to go with my heart here and say that Tampa Bay takes it in 7. I know the media expects the Pens to win it, but... I like Tampa because they deserve it and it would be hilarious to see ESPN and NHL Network turn into apologists for Gary Bettman's team. Also, just for the record, I'd like Tampa to take the series WITH Crosby on the ice. I'd also love it if Malkin were playing too, but he's out for the season. This would eliminate the apologist claims that Crosby's absence was the key to the Lightning's success. As per form, the media is all over the Penguins' losses as due to injury to Crosby. There has never been a better team than Pittsburgh since Crosby was drafted and it is only to circumstance and injury trouble that the Penguins haven't gone undefeated in the years since Crosby came to Pittsburgh.

Next: Vancouver vs. Chicago

I want Chicago. I know Chicago is a rival of my Wings but I love the way they play and the way their team is set up. They're almost like the Anti-Red Wings in the fact that the Red Wings go for veterans and the Hawks go to youth. Toews is a monster and Kane's not bad either.

However, if it comes down to goaltending, I think Luongo (despite the choke jobs he's done in the past) will come away with the victory. Crawford has been great at times but consistency is an issue.

I predict: Chicago in 7

Rangers vs. Caps:

Ok, this is probably THE most likely upset of the first round. The Rangers are playing well and have a great goaltender. The Caps have Ovechkin and they have... did I mention Ovechkin? Their goaltending has to be the youngest trio in the playoffs... perhaps in the NHL? And inconsistency has been a real pain. If the Rangers were smart, they'd try to bog down the Caps offense and turn it into a defensive contest. If that happens, Rangers win.

Rangers in 6.

Nashville vs. Anaheim:

This is, in my opinion, the best first round matchup to be played "in the dark." Meaning, no TV coverage. Nashville is a nice story and Anaheim is boring. Yeah, they got Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Bobby Ryan, but they are a one line wonder. Nashville has a goaltender. A darn good one. But that's it. I'm not sure anyone can name their first line.

Meh. I'm going to go with Keith Jones of the NHL Network and say that the Predators win their first playoff series just for kicks. They'll do it in 5.

Montreal vs. Boston

Montreal is Carey Price. Beat Price, and Les Habitants go away. Hey Bruins: Beat Price. Beat him like a rented mule. Make him throw hissy fits again. Make him shoot pucks at the opposing players during their goal celebratory hugs. And, while you're at it, do it while making Price look good enough that the Canadiens blow a ton of cash on an extension so that Price can return to the 3.00+ GAA and the .895 Save% for the remainder of his contract.

Boston in 6.

LA vs. San Jose:

Blah. I guess LA is banged up. I hear that San Jose doesn't have that great of goaltending. Niemi shines and SJ advances. I don't see them winning more than 3 games... because if they did, they'd advance.

I'm going to say Greene pulls it out in the end. LA in 7.

Buffalo vs. Philly:

Philly has goaltending issues. Buffalo has goal scoring issues. This series could be very interesting or a complete snoozefest. Philly enters with the goaltender most likely to be pulled in Game 1 for a backup in Bobobsky (I know I'm misspelling his last name). Miller might not be 100% but I'll take him in a second over any of Philly's goaltenders. Vanek needs to be hot and Stafford needs to be timely if Buffalo has a chance.

That being said, if Pronger returns, a Sabre will get injured and the Flyers will advance.

Philly in 6.

Phoenix vs. DA WINGS!!!!

The Wings are banged up. Datsyuk is back, thank god, but Zetterberg is out at least Game 1 and Franzen is colder than the arctic circle. Injury issues can be the death of the Wings because I don't trust the depth. Our depth is either too role player heavy or too old. Modano is what... 65? Howard is nice and all but he can let some doozies past him. At least he's not Wasgood (Osgood for you who don't know).

Bryzgalov is the better goaltender and I still think my wings are the better offensive talent.

I don't think the Wings will win it all this year. They're not 100% when they needed it the most. And they're not clicking as well either. I say they squeak past Phoenix and bow out again in the second round.

Detroit in 7.

It's on... Stanley Cup playoffs start tomorrow...

Who is going to win? Who is the favorite to win the cup? Will one of the Bruins shut P.K. Subban's big mouth. Will the Sidney Crosby return for the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Brad Malone signs with the Av's...

Another player from UND's senior class has signed a professional contract. Former Fighting Sioux forward Brad Malone signed a two way deal and will report to Lake Erie Monsters and try and help them win a AHL Championship.

GRAND FORKS – Brad Malone started his college career with a three-point freshman season.

By the time he was done at UND the power forward from Miramichi, N.B. centered one of the top lines in the country, tallied 40 points in a season and found an NHL contract waiting for him to sign.

Malone inked that contract on Monday morning – a two-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche that will kick in starting in the fall. Malone will report immediately to Colorado’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, and he will play in the AHL playoffs on a tryout contract.

Lake Erie, located in Cleveland, takes on the Manitoba Moose in the first round, so Malone will be playing in Winnipeg next Tuesday and Thursday.

Malone’s contract calls for him to make $600,000 next season and $775,000 in 2012-13 if he plays in the NHL, according to capgeek.com He will make $65,000 if he plays in the AHL and will earn signing bonuses of $75,000 each season.

“I think Brad made such good steady progress here,” UND coach Dave Hakstol said. “Any challenges along the way, he handled really well. He used them to improve himself and to use them as a springboard to the next step developmentally.

“He really developed himself into a powerful two-way centerman. He put himself in a real great position going into the Colorado Avalanche organization. I think he has shown physically and mentally, he’s ready to challenge to play in the NHL immediately next year.”

Chay Genoway to the State of Hockey

India Times

I would like to congratulate former Sioux defenseman Chay Genoway on his signing a one year deal with the Minnesota Wild. Genoway according to multiple tweets on twitter this morning Genoway will not joining the Houston Areos this spring for the AHL playoffs.

StarTribune ---- It's official: The Wild signed Fightning Sioux defenseman Chay Genoway to a one-year deal this morning.

Because Genoway is 24, that's the max term the Wild could sign him to right now. So it's like Nate Prosser. He had to sign a one-year deal last year, but since his contract actually began last year, he became a restricted free agent last summer. Genoway would become one next summer.

Casey Wellman was able to sign a two-year deal, so he burned his first year by playing last year, meaning he's a restricted free agent this summer. Just a little college UFA tutorial.

The Wild, which is continually looking to upgrade its prospect pool, hopes to sign a handful of college and European free agents in the coming days.

Genoway is 5-foot-9, 177 pounds and helped lead UND to the Frozen Four this past season. He's scored 127 points in his career, which is fourth among defensemen all-time at UND. I've got a team of researchers looking up where Brad Bombardir ranks.

Chenoway was named to the All-WCHA First Team this year. He's the first player ever to be named a four-time All-WCHA selection. Genoway was the UND captain the past two seasons, and was named to the All-College Hockey News Second Team in 2010-11. Genoway received a medical redshirt in the 2009-10 season due to a concussion. Genoway, a +48 player in his college career, is the second player in WCHA history to be named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete four times. Genoway hails from Morden, Manitoba and is a 2005 graduate of Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn.

Hey Richards! Guess what! You're Fired! (REDWING77)

For being unable to produce something from Mikko Koivu, a second hand man, a perimeter Johnny Come Around Whenever, a few gritty forwards, and a bunch of AHLers.

Why is Richards being fired when the problem the Wild has is that they have no ability to draft offensive players, they have no one in their farm system who can score, and they refuse to spend the big money on players who can change this dynamic? To me, this is a problem that starts with the ownership and stops in the front office. On ESPN.com’s comment section on the article which states of Todd Richards’ dismissal, a random poster who goes by “tyjohn47” posted the following comment:

It's only the first step. Word around the Wild campfire is that the only person in the organization that is safe is Mikko Koivu. Havlat will most likely be dealt. He can do well as a secondary option but it is clear he is not and should not be a teams primary scoring option.

If the Wild can unload the final year of Backstrom's contract on a team...perhaps the Caps if/when the Caps stumble in the playoffs again this season due to their ####-poor goaltending situation?? Brent Burns is heading into the final year of his contract and he may well command a contract with $ similar to Seabrook...so they'll have to make a decision on him too. Zidlicky...gone....he costs way too much for as often as he is hurt.

The Wild need to get younger, faster, tougher and a lot more athletic, quite frankly. Richards did the best he possibly could have with what he had. No stain on him, here. For those blaming Fletcher, fair enough but also understand this much before you throw him under the bus; owner Craig Leipold more or less ordered him to try and make the playoffs and Fletcher did as he was told.

Fletcher thus far is 0 for 3 in making player for player trades bringing in Latendresse who had a very good season in 09-10 but played all of 11 games this season, Chuck Kobasew who couldn't score in a whorehouse and Cam Barker who the Blackhawks were more than happy to unload on to the Wild late last season.

The time has come to clean house and start over in St. Paul.

I’m having a hard time disagreeing with him. The Wild are a disappointment from top to bottom. They spend money on players who don’t command such a high price (regardless of what the market or their agents suggest). They pass on players who are high priced for the right reasons. They subscribe to a system that either worked in the 1970s or are doomed to fail from the get go with the player personnel they have. To make matters worse, you can have a great system but it can take so long to get out from underneath the weighted rock of the financials and player personnel that it can ruin whatever chances a coach has of being successful.

I know the high stakes free agency market can be hard to afford if not downright ridiculous (Kovalchuk anyone?) but… Kovalchuk started out sucking… and ended the year with 31 goals. Havlat finished the year leading the team with 22 goals… the next best was that torrid goal scorer… Cal Clutterbuck with 19! Yeah… if those two were my leading goal scorers, I’d pretty much mail it in too.

This Wild team has been built to win the 1-0, 2-1 snoozefests. I guess I was spoiled watching a team like the Red Wings who, over the past 10 years or so or maybe even more, do such wonderful things as scoring an average of more than 3 goals per game. The last Minnesota team that scored goals decided to move to Dallas.

Fletcher is getting the wrong idea. He thinks that by changing the coach, you’ll get better results out of the players. I still don't see how you are going to get the players to play better than their God-given talent allows. I mean, it's one thing to teach a pig to sit down and roll over upon command. It's completely another issue to try to teach a pig to sing Wagner's Ride of the Valkyrie.

Congrats to Fletcher for firing the coach 2 years into a 5-6 year rebuilding process. Well, back to the 5-6 year rebuilding process.

Matt Frattin on NHL.COM

I have enjoyed watching Matt Frattin play at UND for four season and his presence on the ice will be missed, he is a person that leads by example on the ice. There will also be a few lessons we can all learn from, none of us are perfect but there is nothing wrong with working hard and getting a second chance.

USCHO Final Poll... UMD the champs...

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
[April 11, 2011]
1. Minnesota-Duluth (48) 26-10-6 996 11
2. North Dakota ( 2) 32- 9-3 927 1
3. Michigan 29-11-4 926 6
4. Notre Dame 25-14-5 827 9
5. Boston College 30- 8-1 742 2
6. Yale 28- 7-1 725 3
7. Denver 25-12-5 679 5
8. Miami 23-10-6 647 4
9. New Hampshire 22-11-6 571 12
10. Merrimack 25-10-4 544 7
11. Colorado College 23-19-3 512 13
12. Union 26-10-4 505 8
13. Western Michigan 19-13-10 435 10
14. Nebraska-Omaha 21-16-2 373 14
15. Dartmouth 19-12-3 231 15
16. Rensselaer 20-13-5 223 16
17. Boston University 19-12-8 183 17
18. Air Force 20-12-6 154 20
19. Maine 17-12-7 135 18
20. Cornell 16-15-3 51 19
Others Receiving Votes: Wisconsin 44, Minnesota 29, Alaska-Anchorage 12, Bemidji State 7, Rochester Institute of Technology 7, Northeastern 4, Princeton 4, St. Cloud State 4, Ferris State 3
-------------------------------
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll
1. Minnesota Duluth (34) 26-10-6 510 3
2. Michigan 29-11-4 459 2
3. North Dakota 32-9-3 449 1
4. Notre Dame 25-14-5 395 4
5. Boston College 30-8-1 363 5
6. Yale 28-7-1 314 6
7. Denver 25-12-5 306 7
8. Miami 23-10-6 238 8
9. New Hampshire 22-11-6 246 9
10. Merrimack 25-10-4 204 10
11. Colorado College 23-19-13 182 11
12. Union 26-10-4 146 12
13. Western Michigan 19-13-10 122 13
14. Nebraska Omaha 21-16-2 82 14
15. Rensselaer 20-13-5 16 15
Others Receiving Votes: Dartmouth 10, Boston University 4, RIT 2, Air Force 2

I don't see the logical reason for having one last meaningless poll, in my opinion the tourney is over and the UMD Bulldogs are the NCAA Champions, congrats to them for their great season. I also think that the NCAA tourney should be the final poll... Also, after being spanked by the C.C. Tigers 8-4, the 2010 NCAA champions, the B.C. Eagles still ended up being ranked above the Tigers; so still no love for C.C Tigers in the final poll.

What is it with the voters that voted for teams that didn't even make the NCAA tourney, but also ranking said teams over teams that did... Anyone ready for next season already.

Bruins vs Les Habitants

The Boston Bruins released their schedule for the first round of the NHL Playoff series with the Les Habitants De Montreal.

Game 1: Thursday, April 14, 2011 7 p.m. Montreal at Boston RDS, VERSUS, CBC(HD)
Game 2: Saturday, April 16, 2011 7 p.m. Montreal at Boston RDS, VERSUS, CBC(HD)
Game 3: Monday, April 18, 2011 7:30 p.m. Boston at Montreal RDS, CBC(HD)
Game 4: Thursday, April 21, 2011 7 p.m. Boston at Montreal RDS, VERSUS, CBC(HD)
Game 5: Saturday, April 23, 2011 7 p.m. Montreal at Boston* RDS, VERSUS, CBC(HD)
Game 6: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 TBD Boston at Montreal* RDS, CBC(HD)
Game 7: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 TBD Montreal at Boston* RDS, CBC(HD)

*If Necessary

Strike while the Iron is hot, Wild Fire Todd Richards

While it was obvious that the Wild weren’t going anywhere this season, even though they were in the race for a while, the Wild are still reeling from the Doug Risebrough days where he basically ran the Wild hockey team into the ground with his poor player personnel moves. Going forward, I don’t think even a high profile hall of fame type coach could have taken this thin in talent Wild team to the NHL playoffs.

Minnesota Wild ---- The second head coaching tenure in Minnesota Wild history has come to an end. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher has announced that Head Coach Todd Richards has been relieved of his duties effective immediately.

The decision was made known Monday morning, the day after the Wild concluded Richards' second season as bench boss. The 44-year-old coach posted a record of 77-71-16 after taking over for Jacques Lemaire, the only other coach in franchise history. In both seasons, the Wild was in playoff contention through the winter, but both seasons also ended without playoff appearances.

“I would like to thank Todd for the hard work he provided to the Minnesota Wild organization the last two seasons and wish him the best in the future,” said Fletcher.

Further quotes from Fletcher regarding the decision will be posted shortly.

While I really never was on the Richards bandwagon nor was I on the campaign to run Richards out of town on a rail this team wasn't going anywhere and I could have told you that after watching them play in December. The Wild are up against the salary cap the cupboard is very bare when it comes to scoring talent for the Minnesota Wild, there is no one to score goals, the defensive unit is pretty good but the fact remains that Minnesota Wild needs to get a couple of high profile scorers they can do this if they do not resign some dead weight and get some talent in their place.

Justin Abdelkader blatant elbow on Brent Seabrook

This should have been a penalty probably a 5, 10 and a game misconduct, this is the kind of hits that that NHL is trying to get rid of. I have seen Redwings fans defending it, but it's a blatant chicken wing elbow, it was it to the head and this needs to be reviewed by the NHL. In my opinion it's worthy of a game or two.

Hey! It's just a game. Moron of the week...

Star Tribune

First off the fan/buffoon that did this regardless of what fan base they were from needs to realized that they just committed a crime, it’s called damage to private property and they should have been carted out of the Xcel Energy Center in hand cuffs and stuck in the back of a police car. The newspaper writer that recorded this event should have called the usher and or Xcel Energy Security Staff and had this person confronted and removed from the arena. That’s unacceptable behavior and it’s also socially unacceptable, what kind of animal does that? The Fan that punched a hole in the Xcel Energy Center ceiling is my candidate for "moron of the week."

Star Tribune --- We have not, however, ever punched a hole in the wall of a public sporting arena (or anywhere else, for that matter). This UND fan cannot say the same. After Michigan scored an empty-netter in the final minute to essentially seal the game, he stood up and pounded the wall high above him. Then he did it again, producing that hole you see in the picture. And then they left.

As fans we also need to remember that when we are wearing our team’s uniforms/colors whether at home or on the road we are representatives of the school and our behavior whether good or bad also reflects on our school and us as people as well. There is also some question if the guy wearing the green shirt flipping off the Michigan player is actually a Sioux fan or not…

I was sitting near this clown... for what it's worth, he was decked out in head-to-toe UMD Bulldog gear for the championship game last night... including an authentic Bulldog sweater. As was his sig other. Tough to tell what or who he was a fan of... maybe just disliked Michigan, which many can understand. Ranger

Teemu Selanne gets into 2nd fight of his NHL career...

Check out this fight between Kyle Clifford vs Sheldon Brookbank, but also the Teemu Selanne and Brad Richardson bout, that was only the second fight of Selanne's NHL career. Again, you don't want your star players fighting because they could get hurt but there is a time and a place where a player has to stand up for himself and take matters into his own hands if the refs don't protect the players. s/t Puck Daddy

The Ducks Blog --- “You don’t see that very often,” Selanne said, smiling. “When you feel that somebody tried to hurt you, you have to do some action out there. I had to do what I had to do.

“I can look after myself. Usually you don’t want to hurt your hand and stuff, but I was pretty mad. I know when somebody’s trying to hurt me. That shouldn’t be the case in this league.”

Selanne’s last fight was so long ago that there’s confusion about who his opponent was. The Web site hockeyfights.com lists Chicago’s Chris Chelios as the player Selanne scrapped with, noting the date of the bout as Jan. 19, 1993.

"'to the victor belong the spoils"

With Success come worries about players leaving early. There are going to be some teams looking at J.T. Brown, maybe not this season but they will next season if he keeps playing like this.

Heck of an exciting win by the Bulldogs. I was here but not working, so I got to watch the UMD postgame press conference without any time restrictions. After all, I wasn't on deadline. What a pleasure to watch, especially well-spoken Kyle Schmidt, who scored the winner. He was hilarious in the postgame, and there were several funny, touching moments.

Justin Fontaine is a free agent, and the Wild may have interest. He attended last year's development camp and the Wild likes him. He didn't do much last night, but JT Brown did. I'd assume he returns to school, but in a year, he may be as hotly contested as Casey Wellman and Stephane Da Costa.

Who coaches Tech?

There is a vacancy at Michigan Tech University for a head hockey coach; you would think that Michigan Tech will probably want to fill that coaching vacancy before too long, because the offseason isn’t that short and there are many coaching duties that need to be carried out during the offseason, recruitment, player evaluation, preparations for next season, etc... You would have to wonder who would want to coach the Michigan Tech hockey team a perennial doormat team. Matt Wellens threw a couple of names out there back in March after the Huskies head coach resigned.

Minning Journal --- Let the debate begin. Who can take over the historic Michigan Tech University hockey program and bring it out of the basement?

Longtime University of Michigan and Red Berenson assistant coach Mel Pearson sounds great, especially since he is an MTU alum.

North Dakota assistant Cary Eades would be considered a steal for any WCHA team hoping to compete with the Fighting Sioux.

Nebraska-Omaha and former Minnesota assistant Mike Guentzel, former Miami and current Denver assistant Steve Miller and another Tech alum, Ron Rolston at the U.S. National Team Development Program, are all great head college coaching candidates as well.

But if Michigan Tech hires any one of them, the Husky hockey program will continue to be the punching bag of college hockey's elite.

It's time for Michigan Tech to be more like Northern Michigan University, as painful as that may sound to MTU alumni.

TJ Oshie Praying for a Goal

I taught him that.

Nathan Gerbe's propels Sabres into the playoffs with this awesome goal...

Check out this goal by former B.C. Eagle Nathan Gerbe, unbelievable goal by the little guy. The goal by Gerbe tied the game for the Sabres who then won the game in overtime with a goal from former Golden Gopher Thomas Vanek which was also a thing of beauty as well.

ND Governor Jack Dalrymple; Time for the NCAA to Explain Themselves to the People of North Dakota

I couldn't agree more. listen to the audio right here

FARGO, ND – An April 22nd gathering of NCAA executives, North Dakota state representatives and the University of North Dakota’s Board of Higher Education should be open to the public as an opportunity for the NCAA to “explain to the people of North Dakota” their position regarding the Fighting Sioux Indianhead logo, North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple says.

Appearing on the Scott Hennen Show yesterday, Dalrymple advocated an open-door meeting with the involved parties so that statements made by the NCAA could be subject to a public reception…not confined to a legal document.

“I think it’s time for the NCAA to explain to the people of North Dakota why they are doing what they are saying they’re going to do. I think the time is come for them to articulate that, and not in a legal document.” Dalrymple said.

It took 81 games to figure this out?

ESPN Photo

In the past, I have not been on the fire Todd Richards movement but after reading this, I have ask; why wasn't this line combination tried untill last night? Also, it appears that Todd Richards might be on the verg of coaching his last game this weekend. In my opinion, Wild Forward softie Antti Miettinen would be lucky to be a third line player on a lot of teams in the NHL and shouldn’t be a first line player on the Minnesota Wild.

Good chemistry The Wild might have unearthed a bona fide right winger to play with Mikko Koivu next season: Bouchard (Pierre-Marc Bouchard).

For the first time in a full 60 minutes this season, Richards tried to kickstart the offense by replacing Antti Miettinen with the playmaking Bouchard.

The result was instant chemistry, with Bouchard and Koivu each recording three assists.

Asked if Koivu and Bouchard could be a possible tandem next season, Richards said, "It could be. It's something to look at."