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The Marc Crawford that is currently coaching the Dallas Stars is not the Marc Crawford  we all know and love. This is not the fiery, angry and explosive coach that won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche and helped turn the Vancouver Canucks into a respectable team. This isn’t even the same Marc Crawford…

You have to feel for Ryan Jones. Placed on the waiver wire by the Nashville Predators last week, he was picked up by the Edmonton Oilers in what is undoubtably the best move they made at the trade deadline. Jones is a player who would bring some spark, energy and some scoring ability to an…

I know it’s the question on everyone’s mind: Who will be the next Nicklas Lidstrom once Nicklas Lidstrom retires. It’s a pressing issue, really. And some big shoes to fill for whoever it is does take that spot. Lidstrom is arguably the best NHL player of the past 15 years and his leadership and scoring…

The NHL General Managers are meeting this week, Monday through Wednesday, to discuss and debate a number of issues related to the league. Some of the topics include a possible playoff qualification round, a ‘coach’s challenge for video review” and the tie-breaking formula. But it seems – as it should be — that the issue…

Yesterday it was brought to my attention that there was a ‘report’ published that stated emphatically that the Phoenix Coyotes would be returning to Winnipeg. Even though we here at Pro Hockey Talk are technically not averse to posting rumors from around the league, I was hesitant on this one. This is fairly big story…

I am so tired of the NHL doing it’s best to ensure the Detroit Red Wings keep winning. It’s almost a certainty at this point that Gary Bettman and the NHL officials are doing everything in their power to keep the winningest NHL franchise in the past 20 years on top, keeping every other team…

We’ve this type of hit too many times this season, and it seems that every week we’re writing about another player leaving the ice on a stretcher as the result of a questionable or dirty hit. Yesterday Marc Savard suffered a concussion and briefly lost consciousness as the result of a blind-side hit by the…

Forget about my thoughts on whether the Red Wings may be entering a time of diminishing returns as their stars get older; I still think the hypothesis is relevant, just not applicable on this day. No, today we witnessed the other story of the day come to fruition. A strong performance by the Chicago Blackhawks…

Some reading material on today’s matchup: -Will the Chicago Blackhawks goaltending hold them back from postseason glory? -Are the Detroit Red Wings out of their window for continued success? -Expected lineups for today’s game. <a href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=f7e50aaff4″ mce_href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=f7e50aaff4″ >NBC Game of the Week Live Chat</a>

Here are a few videos that have been passed along to me from NBC. And yes, I know one features Sidney Crosby. He’s a Stanley Cup champion, the NHL scoring leader and he scored the game winning goal for an Olympic gold medal; he’s going to be talked about.    

The Chicago Blackhawks are facing a goaltending crisis. We covered it this morning, but if this team thinks their defense and forwards can cover up for sub-par goaltending then they are seriously delusional. In a big game against a division rival at home and with a 2-0 lead, Cristobal Huet fell apart. He wasn’t tracking…

The speed and the forechecking by the Chicago Blackhawks has the Red Wings back on their heels. Andrew Ladd’s goal was created by some poor puck support behind their own net by Detroit, as several Wings players overskated the puck and seemed more concerned with taking a hit than actually playing the puck. The cause…

There are a couple of keys to the turnaround of the Phoenix Coyotes this season. Dave Tippett was hired and instantly brought a sense of purpose and stability to a team that has been mired in mediocrity for far too long. The hockey fans in Arizona (and yes, there are plenty of hockey fans in…

Chicago Blackhawks vs Detroit Red Wings 12:30 p.m. EST – Sunday, March 7, 2010 Live on NBC The Detroit Red Wings have been so good, for so long, it’s downright scary. They last failed to win a division title in 1999, and have appeared in two straight Stanley Cup finals, and have only lost in…

Chicago Blackhawks vs Detroit Red Wings 12:30 p.m. EST – Sunday, March 7, 2010 Live on NBC The Blackhawks, behind the renewed ownership and team approach of Rocky Wirtz, have rebuilt their team over the past few seasons and are on the cusp of contending for the Stanley Cup. They have the best defensive corps…

The search for the missing stick and glove used by Sidney Crosby while scoring the gold medal-winning goal is getting serious. Reebok Canada is now offering a $10,000 reward: TORONTO (AP) – Reebok Canada is offering a $10,000 reward, no questions asked, for the return of the stick and gloves Sidney Crosby used to score…

Reaction to Maxim Lapierre’s hit on Scott Nichol has been near unanimous: it was horribly dirty play and he deserved the suspension he received, and perhaps should have been suspending for longer. On the play, Lapierre checked Nichol from behind after he had released a shot on net, sending Nichol into the boards head first…

Here’s a pretty crazy scenario. Alex Auld was the Dallas Stars backup all season, until the team traded for Kari Lehtonen. To give an Auld the chance to play elsewhere this season (and free up salary) the Stars waived him, and he was eventually picked up by the New York Rangers on re-entry waivers. Lehtonen…

Yesterday one of our faithful readers asked why the Carolina Hurricanes weren’t getting much attention, despite being the hottest team in the NHL over the past month. Since we are doing our best to give equal love all around, we’ll oblige that request. After enjoying something of a Cinderella run before being swept by the…

Without looking, name me the best Edmonton Oilers defenseman on the active roster. That’s healthy. Yeah, that’s a tough one. Especially now that not only is Sheldon Souray out for the season, but Ladislav Smid as well. Smid will require neck surgery on a injury that resulted from a big hit on January 20th. As…

You’d never expect for there to be a rivalry of sorts building between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks, but an emotion-filled playoff series can do that as well as the possibility the two teams will face off in the postseason against this year. One part of the bad blood between the two teams…

In last night’s late game between the Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks, Scott Nichol took a blatant late hit from Maxim Lapierre that sent him flying head first into the boards. The play started a scrum that saw the Sharks players grabbing any Habs player they could, out of obvious and justified anger. Nichol…

It’s a tough time for the Dallas Stars. They entered the break one point out of a playoff spot, fueled by the incredible play of Marty Turco and some timely secondary scoring. Turco had a 1.15 goals-against average in the six games leading up the Olympics, and somehow found a way to play even better…

Flip Kuba doesn’t practice, could miss third straight game. The Ottawa Senators were one of the few teams that I thought would make a serious push to acquire veteran defensive help at the trade deadline. Some maneuvering would be needed, considering how tight the Sens are against the cap, but if they are serious about…

In last night’s Toronto and Boston game, a couple of heavy hitters took part is what I considered a fairly spirited fight. The Bruins’ Milan Lucic and the Leafs’ Colton Orr squared off, in about as equal a fight as you could hope for, size-wise. The fight was a lengthy and if you would choose…