Top Posts
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It seems like going to Northern Ireland is a big enough hockey adventure, but what about … Israel? Hockey Night in Canada correspondent Jeff Marek is teaching hockey to kids who never get the chance to play on ice and the experience seems nothing short of fascinating. Here is a brief snippet of what it’s…
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Performance bonuses always have been a bit nebulous in the NHL. Rarely do teams release information on them and … for the most part, they haven’t had a big effect on anything. Well, they didn’t have a big effect until this summer, when the cap-strapped Chicago Blackhawks were hit hard for about $4 million in…
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Discussing the need for goalie coaches in the post-lockout years
Aug 12, 2010, 11:30 AM EDT
Comments OffAs much as the sport (and the position) has evolved – just look at the way the equipment went from skimpy pads to netminders resembling “The Michelin Man” – some things never change. Even if their relative value within an NHL franchise and on the free agent market may ebb and flow, goalie performances still…
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NHL 2K11 video: Six-year-old Red Wings fan schools Jack Johnson
Aug 11, 2010, 10:30 PM EDT
Comments OffWhile the actual product seems a few strides behind EA Sports’ offerings, 2K Sports is doing a lot of things right with the marketing of their hockey games. (Although the hockey moms gimmick last year was … questionable.) Last season, they made the obvious choice to make Alex Ovechkin the cover star of “NHL 2K10″…
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KHL team SKA St. Petersburg attempts to re-enter the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes
Aug 11, 2010, 10:00 PM EDT
There’s no telling how interested Ilya Kovalchuk would be in playing for the KHL, but that didn’t stop the deep-pocketed SKA St. Petersburg club from renewing their interest in the star sniper. Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov reports that the team got in touch with Kovalchuk’s Russian agent Yuri Nikolaev soon after word got out that…
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Why Roberto Luongo's contract is different from the rejected Ilya Kovalchuk deal
Aug 11, 2010, 9:30 PM EDT
Comments OffThe rumors of the NHL looking into other, similarly fishy contracts have been verified, but that doesn’t mean the NHL will be able to kill deals made by Roberto Luongo, Marian Hossa and others. I’ve discussed the various ways his deal is different from other contracts, but other media members are doing a nice job…
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Coyotes make re-signing Martin Hanzal 'a priority' while Lee Stempniak explores his options
Aug 11, 2010, 9:00 PM EDT
Comments OffWhile most of the focus rests on the team’s off-ice issues, the Phoenix Coyotes also have some questions to answer on the ice. The two biggest ones center on unrestricted free agent Lee Stempniak and restricted free agent Martin Hanzal. Here is the latest news on those two players from Jim Gintonio of the Arizona…
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Eric Belanger won't name the team he signed with, inspires toothless rumors
Aug 11, 2010, 8:30 PM EDT
Comments OffWhile he’s far from a big name or impact player, Eric Belanger is still one of the better centers remaining on the free agent market. Sources say that he’s chosen the team he’ll sign a one-year contract with, but cannot name that team just yet because his future employers need to clear up some cap…
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2010 NHL Free Agency: Flames re-sign Craig Conroy to one-year, two-way contract
Aug 11, 2010, 8:00 PM EDT
Comments OffWhen I think of the Calgary Flames now-near-mirage of a Stanley Cup Finals run, I think of a few things. Jarome Iginla making himself a true hockey household name. Miikka Kiprusoff becoming the first Finnish goalie name I’d struggle to spell for years. Mike Commdore sporting a hilarious ginger afro. The speed of Chris Clark.…
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The strange tale of the Prince of Wales engraving error (and one fan's quest to prove its existence)
Aug 11, 2010, 7:15 PM EDT
About a week ago, a Chicago Blackhawks fan Brendan Millhouser posted photos on Twitter that featured an error so difficult to believe … that no one actually believed it. During a Blackhawks fan function, Millhouser noticed a stunning error: the Prince of Wales Trophy’s 2009-10 winner was incorrectly engraved as the Washington Capitals. Here are…
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Every once and a while, I try to introduce new stats ideas (or perhaps stats that I just didn’t know existed) to the hockey blogosphere and fans alike. One example is the incredibly simple Special Teams Plus/Minus stats I discussed during the 09-10 season. This could be a long-running series or a summer diversion, but…
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Tomas Kaberle's agent frustrated with Toronto media focus, trade rumors
Aug 11, 2010, 6:13 PM EDT
Comments OffWhen it comes to summertime trade rumors, the gift that keeps on giving the last couple of years has been Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle. Even in spite of having a no-trade clause, Kaberle would manage to end up in idle chatter about being traded. When Kaberle’s no-trade clause opened up on July 1st, it…
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Report: Chris Pronger could miss training camp, may not be ready for season opener
Aug 11, 2010, 5:39 PM EDT
One of the after effects of the Philadelphia Flyers making it to the Stanley Cup finals is often having to deal with injuries suffered during the playoff run. Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger wasn’t immune to such perils and now is likely to miss training camp thanks to a knee injury initially suffered in the second…
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The rumors about the Maple Leafs signing their 2009 sixth round draft pick Jerry D’Amigo came true this afternoon as the team announced they’ve reached a three-year entry-level deal with the Team USA World Junior Championships gold medalist. Leafs GM Brian Burke had this to say about D’Amigo: “We’ve been very pleased with Jerry’s progression…
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NHL not looking into Vincent Lecavalier's 11-year contract with Tampa Bay
Aug 11, 2010, 3:53 PM EDT
Comments OffWhile many players with egregiously long contracts get nervous about whether or not the NHL will come calling to see if their contract will get looked at a little closer, Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning doesn’t have to worry about anything. Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times gets the information that Lecavalier’s…
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Habs 2010 draft pick Jarred Tinordi chooses OHL over Notre Dame, sparks further debate
Aug 11, 2010, 2:30 PM EDT
In what continues to be a bad summer for college hockey fans, continues to be a great one for fans of Canadian junior hockey. 2010 first round pick of the Montreal Canadiens Jarred Tinordi will be playing hockey for the OHL’s London Knights this season rather than in the NCAA for Notre Dame. While it’s…
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2010 NHL free agency: Blackhawks officially re-sign Jordan Hendry
Aug 11, 2010, 1:01 PM EDT
Comments OffIt’s the Blackhawks re-signing that’s been laying in the weeds for a while now. Heck we even talked about it last week, but today the Blackhawks have announced the official re-signing of defenseman Jordan Hendry. Hendry was a key depth member of the Blackhawks blueline last year and while he struggled a bit late in…
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The Tampa Bay Lightning have held onto some of their scoring depth by re-signing winger Juraj Simek to a one-year, two-way contract. Simek is likely destined to return to the AHL and the Norfolk Admirals next season but should things break right for him, it’s possible he could see fourth line time in Tampa Bay…
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With the glut of available players in free agency there’s a definitive issue at hand for the NHL and their players. While we’re sure that a lot of folks would like to hang the blame on Ilya Kovalchuk for seemingly bogging down the market for weeks with his free agency, that’s just not how it…
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Unsurprising news: Agent doesn't approve of Kovalchuk contract ruling
Aug 11, 2010, 12:30 AM EDT
Comments OffYou had to know this was coming at some point in the wake of Richard Bloch’s ruling in favor of the NHL over the NHLPA regarding Ilya Kovalchuk’s nixed contract with the Devils. It’s just a little surprising that it took this long to get a response at all. NHL agent Kurt Overhardt sounded off…
