Lundar resident faces charges over 911 calls

You really cant make this stuff up. It's almost comical, if he wasn't breaking the law, it also sounds like this guy might want to stop drinking, sober up and got some much needed sleep.

WINNIPEG — At least one local hockey fan thinks it’s criminal the Winnipeg Jets haven’t returned home.

A 33-year-old resident of Lundar, Manitoba is facing numerous charges after allegedly making a series of 911 calls which included demanding RCMP officers somehow bring the National Hockey League back to the province.

"He began the conversation by saying he wanted the Jets back. He was quite upset about it," a justice source told the Free Press on Wednesday. The incident occurred last year but was never reported publicly by police. The Free Press uncovered details this week through court documents.

The potential return of the NHL has been a hot topic in recent years, with many believing it’s a matter of when, not if, Winnipeg gets a team back. And while the subject usually triggers passionate debate, this is believed to be the first time it has ever prompted police action.

The emergency dispatcher politely told the angry caller there was nothing she could do to help him and reminded him that he was tying up a valuable resource before hanging up. But the man continued to phone back, claiming he had a lot on his mind.

"He had apparently been drinking and told police he hadn’t slept in days. He started talking about world conglomerates, things like that. He was hallucinating, obviously," said the source.

NHL says not so fast on Kovalchuk's contract.

A person asked me on Twitter yesterday what I thought of the Ilya Kovalchuk's contract. I said, ‘I bet the NHL looks at Kovy's deal.’ Apparently, that was a good prediction as the league has rejected the Kovalchuk’s contract. This was also confirmed by Fire and Ice.

Tuesday night REJECTION: The NHL has rejected the Kovalchuk contract for salary-cap circumvention. The Devils have declined comment, but now this gets interesting. As I outlined below Monday, the intent of this contract was clear, but it seemed to me to be legal under the laws of the CBA. There is a provision in the CBA, however, that prohibits teams from circumventing the intent of the rules.

Where does this go from here? Humorously, the league waited to make its decision well after the theater of the news conference earlier today.

The problem that I see is the league allowed numerous other contracts that were similar in intent, from Chris Pronger to Roberto Luongo. The league has warned teams that if they continued to construct contracts like this, there would be consequences. This is a clear message by the NHL, but I see a little duel on the horizon. [Russo's Rants]

Is Nick Leddy the next one and done...

According to Gopher hockey fan Hammy's twitter rumor has it another Gopher hockey player is going to leave early.

Don't be surprised if you hear about a player departure soon. Not good news.

Over on Sioux Sports a few have posted they think it's Nick Leddy who was traded by the Wild to Chicago in the Kim "Yawnson" Johnsson trade. This is one problem with recruiting players that are number one draft choices, teams love to get them into their system as soon as possible. I getting a little tired of watching these college players leave after one season. No offense to Leddy but he didn't exactly light the WCHA up last year in thirty games he had (3g-8a-11pts)and was hardly what I would call a dominating player.

Among those that participated, Bowman specifically singled out several for their play -- including 19-year old center Brandon Pirri and 19-year old offensive college defenseman Nick Leddy -- both taken early in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Pirri was the Hawks' second pick of the draft (No. 59), while Leddy was taken with the 16th pick by Minnesota and then traded to the Hawks during the past season along with veteran Kim Johnsson.

Leddy, who said he had to discuss with his parents whether he should return to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season, was the first player Bowman mentioned on Monday.

"Nick Leddy was excellent," he said. "This is the first time we've seen him here in Chicago. (We) saw him perform during the (college) season, but boy he's really smooth out there. I think he's going to be with the Blackhawks for many years. It's exciting to see that [www.NHL.com]

Canes Sign Riley Nash to Entry-Level Contract

The Coming Down the Pipe blog correctly predicted that former Cornell Big Red Star Riley Nash wouldn't be an Edmonton Oiler when Guy Flaming said, "Edmonton supporters might be best to prepare themselves for the possibility that Nash might never be seen wearing the orange and blue." That prediction was finally realized today when Nash decided to forgo his finally year of college eligibility to sign with the Hurricanes. Nash was traded to Carolina Hurricanes on June 26th, 2010. It also appears that Nash was ready to sign a professional contract if it wasn't the Edmonton Oilers.

RALEIGH, NC – Jason Karmanos, Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed center Riley Nash to a three-year, entry-level contract. At the NHL level, the deal will pay Nash $550,000 in 2010-11, $600,000 in 2011-12, and $700,000 in 2012-13. He will be paid $65,000 on the AHL level in all three seasons, and receives a signing bonus of $262,500.

“Riley has excellent playmaking ability from the center position, and was a consistent point-producer at Cornell,” said Karmanos. “He'll have an opportunity during training camp to earn a spot on our NHL roster.”

Nash, 21, completed his third season at Cornell University in 2009-10, scoring 12 goals and earning 23 assists (35 points) in 30 games. The Consort, Alb., native led Cornell in assists, and ranked tied for second on the team in scoring. In three seasons with the Big Red, Nash (6’1”, 191 lbs.) has scored 37 goals and earned 65 assists (102 points) in 102 collegiate games. Originally selected by Edmonton in the first round, 21st overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Carolina acquired Nash on June 26, in exchange for Ottawa’s second-round pick, 46th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft

Check out this blog post from Copper and Blue. Just for the record I don't think Riley Nash is overrated, if anything the Hurricanes got him pretty cheap. I can also see why Oliers fans might be upset with Nash as well.

News today that reluctant would-never-have-been Oiler Riley Nash has signed with the Carolina Hurricanes with an extremely modest entry-level contract the team has actually released details of.

Well. It's good to know that he was totally staying in Cornell because he cares about school and because the Oilers were offering him an unfavourable contract. Because leaving school early to sign a typical second-round entry-level deal right after being traded would make him look like a bit of a tool.

Mind you, I also think Nash is hilariously overrated as a prospect, so I can be sarcastic. I think the Oilers were wrong to draft him and right to be rid of him.

Drama queen Ilya Kovalchuk staying with Devils...

It's about fricken time. Finally, the drama queen Lebron James Ilya Kovalchuk has signed a contract with the New Jersey Devils. Now that Kovalchuk is going to sign with the New Jersey Devils, you have to wonder how the heck the New Jersey Devils are going to find cap space to sign former Fighting Sioux forward Zach Parise next season? The Devils are probably going to have to trade players on this season’s roster to make room for Kovalchuk. Now that this block buster signing is over other teams can move forward with their free agency moves.

The waiting is finally over.

Left wing Ilya Kovalchuk has decided to re-sign with the Devils, his agent, the team announced this morning.

The team will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Prudential Center to make the official announcement.

No contract details were available, initially. Ilya’s excited to be continuing his career with New Jersey and knows first-hand the team’s dedication and commitment to winning,” Kovalchuk’s agent Jay Grossman said in a release posted on his agency’s website.

Kovalchuk, 27, had been an unrestricted free agent since noon on July 1. The Devils acquired Kovalchuk, a two-time 52-goal scorer, from Atlanta on Feb. 4 (along with defenseman Anssi Salmela) for defenseman Johnny Oduya, right wing Niclas Bergors, prospect Patrice Cormier and the Devils’ 2010 first-round draft pick.

Assuming Kovlachuk’s salary is for more than $3.5 million – he made $7.5 million last season– the Devils will have to move players to get under the $59.4 million salary cap before the start of the regular season. Teams can go as high as 10 percent over the cap until the start of the regular season.
[Fire and Ice]

Links to the Story

Ilya Kovalchuk signs with Devils [NJ.COM]

Kovalchuk, Devils agree to deal [ESPN.COM]

Done Deal-ya: Kovalchuk returns [devils.nhl.com]

BREAKING: Ilya Kovalchuk Re-Signs with the New Jersey Devils [inlouwetrust.com]

Kovalchuk's decision: He's a New Jersey Devil again [Puck Daddy]

Kovalchuk inks deal with the Devils [Globe and Mail]

Kovalchuk deals with the Devils [CBC.CA]

Ilya Kovalchuk chooses Devils over Los Angeles Kings [NJ.COM]

Koivu > Toews?

I thought you might be interested in reading this. For comparison sake Jonathan Toews NHL totals are (222 games 83 goals 108 assists 191 points) and Mikko Koivu (NHL totals 362 games 79 goals 176 assist 255 points). So if you break this down further, Jonathan Toews 22 has scored 191 points in 222 games in three NHL seasons, that means he scores in 8 out of 10 games he plays in. On the other side of the coin the older Mikko Koivu 27 has scored 255 points in 362 games in five NHL seasons, which means that Koivu has actually only scored in 7 out of 10 games that he plays in.

Yes, Koivu has a larger cap hit than Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Backstrom, Jonathan Toews and Henrik Sedin. Yes, his stats may not necessarily define him as a “superstar” type player but, then again, neither have Toews’.

In fact, Koivu has put up better numbers than Toews over the last few seasons with less talent surrounding him—something that likely was at the forefront of these discussions when comparables were involved.

What Koivu brings to the squad, however, is so much more than just numbers-based value.

The fact of the matter is that the Wild would be lost without their captain. Koivu is the cornerstone of their team at even strength, on the penalty kill and on the powerplay.

The Wild’s offense not only runs through Koivu, but their forecheck and backcheck does as well.[Wild Nation]

While I am a Wild fan I think that Jonathan Toews has a bigger upside than Koivu. If I was the general manager of the Minnesota Wild and had a chance to either have Koivu or Toews on my team I would take the younger Toews.

Russo on former Sioux player Rick Wilson

Apparently former Fighting Sioux hockey player Rick Wilson is in the running to be an assistant coach for the Minnesota Wild.

Rick Wilson, the former North Stars and longtime Dallas Stars assistant/associate coach, is a finalist for the Wild assistant job, multiple sources confirm. Wilson, a former UND and NHL defenseman, has been an NHL assistant for 20 years with the Islanders, Kings, North Stars, Stars and last season, Tampa Bay.

Wilson has two more years on his deal with the Lightning, but the Tampa Tribune's Erik Erlendsson tells me GM Steve Yzerman told Wilson at the draft that while the Lightning sorts out the coaching staff, he was free to seek employment elsewhere.

Wilson, 59, has worked with a gazillion NHL head coaches, winning a Cup in Dallas alongside Kent Hitchcock, and working alongside everybody from Al Arbour to Bob Gainey to Dave Tippett. He was an assistant with the North Stars/Stars from 1992-2008, spending part of the 2001-02 season as Dallas' interim coach.

I heard from several coaches that know him this afternoon, and they say "fabulous coach" and "Great hire. Would be a great hire as well."
[Russo's Rants]

Wild show Koivu the money.

While I was on my vacation the Minnesota Wild resigned Mikko Koivu to a long term deal. Some might say that the Wild over paided him. What do you think? Here are Koivu's NHL totals (362 games 79 goals 176 assists = 255 points)

Just for comparison sake Alexander Ovechkin is making 9,000,000.00 a year, while Crosby and Malkin are making 8,700,000.00 a year and Koivu is creeping up into that territory of the elite highest paid players in the NHL by making 6.75 million year. While I believe that Mikko Koivu is a very good two way player, he isn't an elite NHL hockey player.

Captain Mikko Koivu signed a US$47.25 million, seven-year contract extension Thursday, keeping the versatile centre with the team through the 2017-18 season.

"You could argue quite persuasively that he's the best player to ever play for the Minnesota Wild," said general manager Chuck Fletcher, who watched the organization's original first-round draft pick, sniper Marian Gaborik, leave for riches and the New York Rangers as a free agent last summer.

The Wild weren't about to let Koivu get that far, and the 27-year-old Finn was quite happy to stay with the team that took him in the first round in 2001, one draft after Gaborik.

Fletcher went so far as to call this deal a "monumental signing" and an "historic day" for the franchise. Koivu, picked as the Wild's first permanent captain last October, had 22 goals and 49 assists last season. In addition to being a leader in the locker-room, Koivu is arguably their best offensive player and best defensive forward. [TSN.CA]

Joe Finley interview at the Capitals develpment camp.

Former Fighting Sioux defenseman Joe Finley was interviewed at the Capitals Development camp. As usual Joe proves to be a pretty good interviewee. s/t to On Frozen Blog

Fighting Sioux Hockey Family loses Perry "NAKO" Nakonechny

I just got home from my vacation to find out that Former Fighting Sioux hockey player Perry Nakonechny has passed away after a long courageous battle with cancer. This is the message on Perry's Caring Bridge page.

Perry died this afternoon just after 12:00. His breathing eased and a tear slipped from his eye. We were with him as he left the pain of this world and entered the kingdom of heaven. Now we hold him in our hearts

Perry is a great guy and he will be missed by many people that have been touched by his infectious personality. Please remember Perry in your thoughts and prays.


Remembering the 'consummate teammate' Former Sioux player Perry Nakonechny dies at age 47 [Grand Forks Herald]

El Rocco coming to UND Campus in 2011 and Random Notes (RW77)

Rocco Grimaldi Commits to Sioux

US NTDP standout forward Rocco Grimaldi committed to UND according to UND blogger and Herald Sports Writer Brad Schlossman.

He was deciding between Notre Dame and Denver before selecting UND as his final destination before the pros.

Right away, the guy reminds me of someone.... Ah yes. Ryan Duncan. Why? Because he's 5'6" and 160 pounds, which, IIRC, is right about Duncan's size. However, what he also does is remind people about a certain BC standout that had UND's goat...ahm... Nathan Gerbe anyone?

Rocco's hometown is listed in Michigan but he's actually from California. He has done well for himself everywhere he's been at, winning the championship for his midget team (Little Caesar's AAA Midget), winning the U-17 tourney, and the U-18 tourney.

He had 20 points in 32 games with the NTDP this year, including a team high six goals on the powerplay. He was also the top scorer in the U17 Challenge.

He served as Team Captain as well, which is another standup quality for the young man.

Here's the USHL link

Random College Notes:

-- UND's roster will be finalized this month. Most of the pontifications on this blog and the Siouxsports.com forums have pretty much nailed what's expected already so no surprises are expected.

-- Four Frozen Four Sites have been announced. 2011 is Minnesota's home ice advantage XCel Energy Center, 2012 is Tampa (whooo! That's going to be as packed as that sell out was in Anaheim a few years back!), 2013 in Pittsburgh and 2014 in Philly. Boston snubbed again. The good news is maybe ESPN can entice Sidney Crosby to come to the show in Pittsburgh so they can find something OTHER than college hockey to talk about (aka Edwards and Moriarty with Doug Flutie in 2000)

-- Chay Genoway is working out but not yet cleared medically to play... to the knowledge of Brad Schlossman (who I believe will be the first person outside of UND's Athletic Department, UND's players and coaches, Chay's friends and family to be notified)

NHL News and Notes:

-- HEY GUESS WHAT! A Canadian news agency proposed to televise the Ilya Kovalchuk "decision" in, yup, an hour long special. No, I'm not being cynical or making this crap up. Thank you LeBron. I hope you get burned big time.

-- Philly re-signed thug cave-man intellectual equal Danny Carcillo today. I don't know how much he was paid, but whatever it was, even if it was one penny above league minimum, it was too much.

-- Modano may not end up in Detroit after all. Looks like bygones will be bygones and the Wild may sign him. It's nice to know that Modano can turn the other page after Risebrough gave him the middle finger when Modano all but volunteered to play for the Wild after the lockout and Risebrough said no.

-- Niemi's arbitration date has been set. He's looking about somewhere around $3 million+ a season thanks to STL and Halak. It will be very interesting to see what the Hawks do.

More Moves and More Bad News for Chicago (RW77)

Former Sioux Get Pro Contracts

Former Sioux Alternative Captain Darcy Zajac signed a 2 year deal with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL). Albany is currently the AHL Affiliate of Darcy's older brother's team, the New Jersey Devils. This isn't an NHL deal so it would take another contract for him to play with the Devils, but it does give Darcy some notice by Lamoriello, a GM who has been very favorable to UND and college hockey in general.

Former Sioux Goaltender JP Lamoureaux signed a 1 year agreement with Abbotsford of the AHL. Abbotsford is part of the Calgary Flames organization. I wish the best for JPL but I don't have any expectations that it could develop into an NHL contract. Calgary is run by Brent Sutter, a guy who is almost as notorious as being anti-NCAA as the people who run Moncton of the QMJHL, London of the OHL, and the staff of the Atlanta Thrashers (see the situation with current UML recruit drafted by the Thrashers who are pressuring him to go MJ). Despite this, I hope he does a great job with Abbottsford and that gets him some notice.

Chicago's Situation Gets More Tense

Today Chicago GM Stan Bowman said that they'd match San Jose's offer to Niclas Hjalmarrssen for 4 years $14 million, but that means someone else has to go. The Hawks are dangling Brian Campbell out there but they will probably move Patrick Sharp instead due to contract issues.

This is too bad, but not unexpected. I'm not expecting much from the Hawks next year. The I attrition is simply too high. This is the result of terrible cap management and poor GM decision making, which is tough for me to swallow because I think so highly of Dave Tallon.

I think they had to, but what really hurts now is that they can't get out of Christobal Huet's abomination of a contract. And he's not going to give that money back. And I don't blame him. Stupid is as stupid does and Tallon was retarded.

I just don't see the Hawks being effective without their big guns. Toews and Kane will still be there, but gone will be Versteeg, Ladd, and either Sharp, Campbell, or both. Then there's the mess about Niemi.

I wouldn't be surprised now if Niemi walks if arbitration asks for too much. It'll be too bad that they couldn't get compensatory draft picks when Niemi walks though.

Gone Fishing - Vacation time...

Gone Fishing - I need a vacation! So this week we are going to put Goon’s World on a summer vacation as well. I am off to go Walleye fishing in Devils Lake 12-15 July and I will be staying at my hunting shack north of Devils Lake, ND with Sioux7 and a few other friends of mine. Everyone needs decompression time.

I am ready for a vacation and I am pretty much just going to have fun and go where the wind blows me. I am excited to also be playing in the Galen Nagle Golf Tourney on Friday July, 16 2010. A long time ago I had the pleasure of meeting Galen and he was a definitely a quality guy. I think the Galen Nagle Golf tourney is a nice touch and a great honor to an awesome guy. Hopefully, this season our team can place again.

Recently I started playing some more golf and I have been playing a few rounds of golf at Lincoln Park Golf Course so I could get used to playing at a course that is lined with trees like Bemidji Town and Country Club. Of course Lincoln is not even comparable to the BTCC but Kings Walk has no trees that come into play on the course. If your ball is laying next to a to one of the four tree at Kings Walk your probably not having a very good day of golf, you might not even be in bounds.

While I am in Bemidji I am supposed to get a tour of the new BREC if time permits. If I am able to get in there and take a toure I will post some pictures up on the blog. Last time I was in Bemidji I forgot to take my camera so I wasn't able to get any pictures of the BREC from the outside.

This week if anything significant happens; Redwing77 will post something on the Goon’s World. I know we are waiting to hear where Ilya Kovalchuk is going to end up. The more this thing drags on the more with Kovaluchuk the more the other major transactions are kind of on the back burner until this things gets worked out.

Please also remember former Fighting Sioux hockey player Perry Nakonechny in your thoughts and prayers. Nako was a member on the 1987 NCAA Championship team. Perry has foughyt a tough fight against cancer and it sounds like he isn't doing well. I have known Perry for about 10 years from days at Valley Golf and Kings Walk and he is a quality guy as well.

Our warrior is nearing the end of his battle. He has fought with strength and courage. He is resting peacefully now as he prepares to accept the trophy of eternal life in heaven. Please don't think he lost his battle with cancer. It is clear to me that he is a champion.

Mike Modano to the Wild?

Having grown up in Minnesota during my youth and being a rabid Minnesota North Stars fans until Norm “Greed” Green up and moved the team to Dallas; I would welcome a return of Mike Modano to the Minnesota Wild. From reading the rumor mill on line it would appear that Modano is also being courted by the Detroit Redwings and San Jose Sharks; Modano being from Livonia, Michigan would also make the Redwings a logical place to finish his hockey career, if he didn't sign with the Minnesota Wild.

The door has officially been opened for future Hall of Famer Mike Modano to perhaps finish his NHL career in the place it started.

Wild GM Chuck Fletcher said Friday that he spoke with Modano this week about the Wild's interest in signing the former North Stars center to a free-agent contract.

"We're interested in speaking to Mike about his future plans," Fletcher said. "We obviously have interest in doing anything that will make our team better, and we just want to sit down with him and see if there's a mutual fit." [Red Star and Sickle]

I think Modano would bring leadership to the Wild locker room as well as add speed and needed points to the Wild’s unimpressive line up. What do you think? Do you like the idea of the Wild attempting to get Modano to end his career in Minnesota?

The list of UFA transactions so far. (updated - 07/10/2010)

Here is the updated UFA tracker, not much has gone on as of late because free agency is pretty much at a stand still as teams are vying for Ilya Kovalchuk who is the NHL version of LeBbron James.

Jul 7 Lebda, Brett D Detroit Toronto $2.9M 2 $1.45M
Jul 7 Corvo, Joe D Washington Carolina $4.5M 2 $2.25M - Western Michigan
Jul 7 Niedermayer, Rob C New Jersey Buffalo $1.15M 1 $1.15M
Jul 6 Boulton, Eric LW Atlanta Atlanta $650K 1 $650K
Jul 6 Stone, Ryan C Edmonton Calgary $500K 1 $500K
Jul 5 Clark, Brett D Colorado Tampa Bay $3.2M 2 $1.6M
Jul 3 Giroux, Alexandre LW Washington Edmonton $500K 1 $500K
Jul 2 Mitchell, John C Toronto Toronto $750K 1 $750K
Jul 2 Quincey, Kyle D Colorado Colorado n/a 2 n/a
Jul 2 Winnik, Daniel C Colorado Colorado n/a 2 n/a - New Hampshire
Jul 2 Montoya, Al G Phoenix Phoenix n/a 1 n/a
Jul 2 Lepisto, Sami D Phoenix Phoenix n/a 1 n/a
Jul 2 Craig, Ryan C Tampa Bay Pittsburgh $500K 1 $500K
Jul 2 Andrew Ebbett n/a Minnesota Phoenix n/a 1 n/a-Michigan
Jul 2 Lombardi, Matthew C Phoenix Nashville $10.5M 3 $3.5M
Jul 2 Winchester, Brad LW St. Louis St. Louis $700K 1 $700K-UW
Jul 2 MacIntyre, Steve LW Florida Edmonton $500K 1 $500K
Jul 2 Konopka, Zenon RW Tampa Bay NY Islanders n/a 1 n/a
Jul 2 Parenteau, P.A. RW NY Rangers NY Islanders $600K 1 $600K
Jul 2 Jurcina, Milan D Washington NY Islanders $1M 1 $1M
Jul 2 Eaton, Mark D Pittsburgh NY Islanders $5M 2 $2.5M-Notre Dame
Jul 2 Higgins, Christopher RW Calgary Florida $1.6M 1 $1.6M-Yale
Jul 2 McCormick, Cody C Buffalo Buffalo $500K 1 $500K
Jul 2 Strudwick, Jason D Edmonton Edmonton n/a 1 n/a
Jul 2 Kubina, Pavel D Atlanta Tampa Bay $7.7M 2 $3.85M
Jul 2 Jackman, Tim RW NY Islanders Calgary n/a 2 n/a-MSU-M
Jul 2 Ivanans, Raitis RW Los Angeles Calgary n/a 2 n/a
Jul 1 Prospal, Vaclav LW NY Rangers NY Rangers $2.1M 1 $2.1M
Jul 1 Scott, John n/a Minnesota Chicago $1M 1 $1M-MTU
Jul 1 Boyd, Dustin C Montreal Montreal $650K 1 $650K
Jul 1 Nystrom, Eric LW Calgary Minnesota $4.2M 3 $1.4M-Michigan
Jul 1 Reich, Jeremy LW NY Islanders Boston n/a 1 n/a
Jul 1 Raycroft, Andrew G Vancouver Dallas $1.3M 2 $650K
Jul 1 Cullen, Matt C Ottawa Minnesota $10.5M 3 $3.5M-SCSU
Jul 1 Burish, Adam LW Chicago Dallas $2.3M 2 $1.15M-UW
Jul 1 Koivu, Saku C Anaheim Anaheim $5M 2 $2.5M
Jul 1 Tambellini, Jeff LW NY Islanders Vancouver $500K 1 $500K-Michigan
Jul 1 Leopold, Jordan D Pittsburgh Buffalo $9M 3 $3M-Minnesota
Jul 1 Hamhuis, Dan D Pittsburgh Vancouver $27M 6 $4.5M
Jul 1 Volchenkov, Anton D Ottawa New Jersey $25.5M 6 $4.25M
Jul 1 Jokinen, Olli C NY Rangers Calgary $6M 2 $3M
Jul 1 Mason, Chris G St. Louis Atlanta $3.7M 2 $1.85M
Jul 1 Foster, Kurtis D Tampa Bay Edmonton $3.6M 2 $1.8M
Jul 1 Tallinder, Henrik D Buffalo New Jersey $13.5M 4 $3.375M
Jul 1 Sanford, Curtis G Montreal Montreal $550K 1 $550K
Jul 1 Whitney, Ray RW Carolina Phoenix $6M 2 $3M
Jul 1 Lydman, Toni D Buffalo Anaheim $9M 3 $3M
Jul 1 Martin, Paul D New Jersey Pittsburgh $25M 5 $5M -Minnesota
Jul 1 Boogaard, Derek LW Minnesota NY Rangers $6.5M 4 $1.625M
Jul 1 Ellis, Dan G Montreal Tampa Bay $3M 2 $1.5M
Jul 1 Shelley, Jody RW NY Rangers Philadelphia $3.3M 3 $1.1M
Jul 1 Morris, Derek D Phoenix Phoenix $11M 4 $2.75M
Jul 1 Malhotra, Manny C San Jose Vancouver $7.5M 3 $2.5M
Jul 1 O'Donnell, Sean D Los Angeles Philadelphia $1M 1 $1M
Jul 1 Perrault, Joel C Phoenix Vancouver $510K 1 $510K
Jul 1 Niittymaki, Antero G Tampa Bay San Jose $4M 2 $2M
Jul 1 Armstrong, Colby RW Atlanta Toronto $9M 3 $3M
Jul 1 Auld, Alex G NY Rangers Montreal $1M 1 $1M
Jul 1 Michalek, Zbynek D Phoenix Pittsburgh $20M 5 $4M
Jul 1 Tanguay, Alex RW Tampa Bay Calgary $1.7M 1 $1.7M
Jul 1 Gonchar, Sergei D Pittsburgh Ottawa $16.5M 3 $5.5M
Jul 1 Paille, Dan LW Boston Boston $2.15M 2 $1.075M
Jul 1 Biron, Martin G NY Islanders NY Rangers $1.75M 2 $875K
Jun 30 Leighton, Michael G Philadelphia Philadelphia $3.1M 2 $1.55M
Jun 29 Barch, Krys LW Dallas Dallas $1.675M 2 $837.5K
Jun 26 Wallin, Niclas D San Jose San Jose $2.5M 1 $2.5M
Jun 26 Nichol, Scott C San Jose San Jose $760K 1 $760K
Jun 25 Recchi, Mark RW Boston Boston $1M 1 $1M
Jun 24 Boychuk, Johnny D Boston Boston $3.75M 2 $1.875M
Jun 24 Marleau, Patrick LW San Jose San Jose $27.6M 4 $6.9M
Jun 22 Plekanec, Tomas C Montreal Montreal $30M 6 $5M
Jun 22 Darche, Mathieu RW Montreal Montreal $550K 1 $550K
Jun 22 Cooke, Matt LW Pittsburgh Pittsburgh $5.4M 3 $1.8M
Jun 21 Pyatt, Taylor LW Phoenix Phoenix $2M 2 $1M
Jun 17 Aucoin, Adrian D Phoenix Phoenix $4M 2 $2M
Jun 17 Bouillon, Francis D Nashville Nashville $2.7M 2 $1.35M
Jun 16 Bertuzzi, Todd RW Detroit Detroit $3.875M 2 $1.9375M
Jun 15 Rome, Aaron D Vancouver Vancouver $1.5M 2 $750K
Jun 14 Backlund, Johan G Philadelphia Philadelphia $1.6M 2 $800K

A Quick bit of news (RW77)

A little news today on the NHL side of things with one WCHA connection:

David Fischer...bababa BUST!

Just in case you weren't aware of it, former Gopher Defenseman David Fischer is a first round bust. He was a bust in Minnesota and Canadians GM Gauthier confirmed that he's an NHL bust as well. He told David's representative that they have no intention of signing him and will get a compensatory pick in the 2011 Entry Draft (20th pick of the second round to correlate with the draft position of Fischer).

This isn't all that surprising. Fischer never played as well as he did prior to Minnesota. He never improved. He just was a big body and no appreciable talent beyond his stellar years prior to playing for the Gophers.

This year seems to be the year of Finger Pointing. Whose fault is it about Fischer's stalling in development? In this case, I think Minnesota is off the hook. Fischer's freshman year wasn't stellar to begin with. I truly think he came to Minnesota peaked out developmentally and the coaching staff couldn't do a darn thing.

Will another team sign him? Maybe to a minor league deal. He'd certainly be cheap.

If I were Fischer's representative and David wanted to continue playing hockey, I'd look overseas. Try to get into the Finnish Elite League or perhaps the KHL.

I feel for David as a person. It wasn't his fault that the Canadiens saw something in him that wasn't there.


Blackhawks Situation Update

The San Jose Sharks just signed off Niclas Hjalmarrssen to a 4 year $14 million contract. The Hawks have 7 days to match it or they'll get San Jose's 1st and 3rd round picks in the 2011 draft.

This is nothing more than the cap mess rearing its ugly head again.

And it gets worse.

Rumors have been circulating that they may even drop Antti Niemi if the Arbitration goes bad for the Hawks.

I'm not sure how bad this would be overall. Niemi played well, but he still was the weakest link to the Hawks Cup run. Losing Hjalmarrssen seems to be the worst scenario.

The problem is timing. If the Hawks knew what arbitration would bring before the 7 days were up, it would more than likely have a huge impact on what they decide to do regarding Niemi and Hjalmarrssen.

The question is: could they find another diamond in the rough overseas? If so, then letting Niemi go might be ok. You throw your chips in with Toivonen and bring in that diamond from overseas. Huet is done regardless. I can't see them wanting to keep that sieve around even if Niemi is gone.

I guess what I'm saying is that I think the Hawks have to match the offer sheet laid by San Jose. Defensemen are at a premium this offseason and I think that they can recover better in goaltending than defense.

We'll see what happens. I just hope Bowman doesn't change his mind and decide to drop Niemi and throw his chips in on Huet. They already did that twice and failed both times.

Controversial icing rule shelved

I keep seeing various newspaper articles and blog posts that state, "NCAA coaches were unanimously opposed to the icing proposal." Fair enough Karr let’s put a name and a face to the coaches that are in favor of this ridiculous rule. I think that Forrest Karr was embarrassed and is looking to save some face. The 35-0 from three conferences (AHA, CCHA, WCHA) looks pretty unanimous to me and I have yet to see anyone quoted from the coaching ranks that’s in favor of this moronic rule. It’s time to put up or shut up, who are the coachs in favor of this icing rule.

College hockey coaches kept throwing punches, and the NCAA rules committee finally tapped out.

The NCAA announced Thursday that a proposed rules change, one that would forbid college hockey teams from legally icing the puck while shorthanded, has been pulled off the table.

The rules committee instead will allow for further experimentation with the change during exhibition games in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

If adopted, the rule would have altered a critical and long-standing tactic in killing penalties, and it could have made it almost impossible for shorthanded teams to change lines.

When the proposed change was moved forward in June, coaches across the country bashed the amendment. The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Dean Blais, as well as most of his colleagues in the WCHA, came out strongly against the proposal.

Forrest Karr, outgoing chair of the rules committee and athletic director at the University of Alaska, said in a statement that the committee valued the feedback it received from coaches.

“Responses indicate that, while several coaches like the concept, there are concerns about the potential for unintended consequences,” Karr said in the release.

Karr has strongly refuted the assertion that NCAA coaches were unanimously opposed to the icing proposal.

But coaches certainly were not shy about going on the record with their outrage over the idea. WCHA coaches had voted 12-0 against the proposal when it was discussed during the league’s annual meetings in April.

“It’s ridiculous,” Blais told The World-Herald on June 25. “What more do you want? You’re already on the power play, but then the other team gets the puck — what are they supposed to do with it? It sounds like whoever was involved with that rule and pushed it through, I don’t think they understand the game very well.” [Mavericks Today]

Video from the Probert Funeral

Former tough guy Bob Probert was laid to rest today. R.I.P. Probie.

Roster for Wild's development camp set

Here is the roster for the Minnesota Wild's development camp. There is a nice mix of players from college hockey on this year’s roster. Here is the official link.

Forwards (21)

75 Cody Almond
42 J.T. Barnett
59 Brandon Buck
51 Brett Bulmer
49 Darian Dziurzynski
52 Justin Fontaine - Minnesota-Duluth
72 Kristopher Foucault
18 Colton Gillies
56 Anthony Hamburg
60 Erik Haula - Minnesota
46 Tyler Johnson
54 Petr Kalus
57 Dylen McKinlay
47 Johan Larsson
45 Carson McMillan
79 Jarod Palmer - Miami University
48 Chad Rau - Colorado College
68 Matt Read - Bemidji State
58 Jere Sallinen
63 Casey Wellman - UMASS
62 Jason Zucker - DU

Defensemen (11)

53 Josh Caron
71 Tyler Cuma
73 Justin Falk
61 Bjorn Krupp
65 Sean Lorenz - Notre Dame
67 Kyle Medvec - University of Vermont
74 Maxim Noreau
78 Nate Prosser - Colorado College
64 Marco Scandella
76 Cameron Schilling - Miami University
41 Jared Spurgeon

Goaltenders (4)

31 Dennis Endras
43 Johan Gustafsson
50 Matt Hackett
70 Darcy Kuemp
[s/t Russo's Rants]

What part of no do they not understand? (more on the NCAA rules)

I really think hockey fans and coaches need to stand up against the rule change that penalizes a team for icing the puck during a penalty kill. What part of "NO" do they not understand? We do not want them to come back to this rule in the future not in 2012-2013 or 2015-2016. A team skating down a man or two (5-4 or 5-3 or 4-3) is being penalized enough. Hockey fans and coaches don't want this rule. I also think we need to put a face to this proposal. I think Hockey fans have a right to know who is pushing for this stupid rule change.

The NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee’s proposal met with largely negative reaction from coaches, so it will be used in exhibition games only during the two-year cycle of the next rule book, which starts with the coming season.

The committee will then have experience to work with in determining whether the rule will be implemented starting with the 2012-13 season.
[Read more]