Showing posts with label National Hockey League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Hockey League. Show all posts

Brooks on Parise, 'Devils' Parise will soon wear new jersey'

Zach Parise & his fans
Zach Parise & his fans (Photo credit: New Jersey State Library)
This will be one of the top stories in the NHL this summer - where is Zach Parise going to sign and with what team. Personally, I hope the Boston Bruins or the the home town Minnesota Wild are going to be choices for the former Fighting Sioux  First Team All-American and star forward Parise.
Larry Brooks, New York Post --- Parise, who will turn 28 next month, could attract offers of up to 12 years. He will certainly receive front-loaded, bonus-laden offers from the Rangers and Red Wings, who have millions to spend and the inclination to do so.

The Wild will be in, though Parise might want to think more than twice about going home to join a team in which he would be the best player by leaps and bounds.

The Sharks could be in. The Maple Leafs will be, though current general manager Brian Burke doesn’t believe in front-loaded deals. The Bruins could become a serious contender. There will be others.

Given the financial realities in New Jersey, it’s almost impossible to conjure the scenario in which ownership could cut Parise a $10 million check on July 2. And again, that’s even assuming Parise’s first choice is to remain a Devil.

He is one today and will be one tonight. But once the puck is dropped, the clock will be ticking on the Devils’ season and on the captain’s career in New Jersey.

T-minus-60 and counting.
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CBC opening for game 3


Here was the opening of last night's game on CBC - unfortunately I am not able to watch CBC anymore because I got rid of my Midcontinent last July and got DirecTV

Based on how the New Jersey Devils have played there may only be one more game left, because the Los Angeles Kings have been relentless and have taken the games to the Devils.
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New York Times - In Hockey Enforcer’s Descent, a Flood of Prescription Drugs

Derek Boogard being interviewed for WCCO If yo...
Derek Boogard being interviewed for WCCO If you would like to use this photo please leave a comment here, contact me via Flickrmail, or email nvjorgen [at] yahoo dot com. If you see this photo on the net leave a comment with a link to the page. Thanks. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
If you haven't seen this article you might want to take a look at it. Personally, I can't believe what I just read - I have to think that someone has some explaining to do and there seems to be some questions that beg to be answered. This article does not paint a pretty picture about Derek Boogaard's addiction and maybe this newspaper article might bring to light some things that need to be addressed going forward, most of us don't want to see anymore players' life cut short by an overdose or have their life ruined by a drug addiction.
John Branch, New York Times --- In his final three seasons playing in the National Hockey League, before dying last year at 28 of an accidental overdose of narcotic painkillers and alcohol, Derek Boogaard received more than 100 prescriptions for thousands of pills from more than a dozen team doctors for the Minnesota Wild and the Rangers.

A trove of documents, compiled by Boogaard’s father, offer a rare prescription-by-prescription history of the care given to a prominent, physically ailing athlete who struggled with addiction to some of the very drugs the team doctors were providing. The scores of prescriptions came before and after Boogaard’s entry into the league’s substance-abuse program in September 2009 for an addiction to painkillers and sleeping pills.

Among the findings:

¶ In a six-month stretch from October 2008 to April 2009, while playing 51 games, Boogaard received at least 25 prescriptions for the painkillers hydrocodone or oxycodone, a total of 622 pills, from 10 doctors — eight team doctors of the Wild, an oral surgeon in Minneapolis and a doctor for another N.H.L. team.
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Shawn Thornton comments on Thomas situation


This Sports Net Center interview with Bruin's tough guy Shawn Thornton kind of sums it up. Tim Thomas was one of the major reason the Boston Bruins won a Stanley Cup last season, if they don't have his goaltending effort I don't think the Bruins get out of the first round against the Montreal Canadians. The Bruins has three series that went to seven games (Canadians, Lightning and Canucks).

 "We wouldn’t have won it without him," Thornton said…
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Colllege Hockey INC - Executive Director annoucement

JOB DESCRIPTION
NAME: TBD
DATE: JULY/AUGUST 2012
JOB TITLE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JOB STATUS: FULL TIME
WORK LOCATION: TBD
SUPERVISOR: BOARD OF DIRECTORS, COLLEGE HOCKEY INC.
JOB SUMMARY:

Under general supervision, the Executive Director manages the interests of College Hockey Inc.
This position supervises two full-time positions as well as other potential part-time positions in
the areas of education, NCAA rules, media platforms and camps. The Executive Director will
create a vision to promote and market of college hockey, grow the economic resources of
College Hockey Inc., improve the recruiting efforts of college hockey and its member institutions
and grow the relationships with USA Hockey and the National Hockey League. Salary and a
benefits package are commensurate with experience. This position requires the ability to travel,
work nights and weekends and holidays as needed.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
Oversees an assigned number of areas with the following duties:
· Reports to the Board of Directors of College Hockey Inc.;
· Develops plans and materials to promote and market college hockey;
· Meets with various multi-media entities, including television and websites;
· Manages IceBreaker Tournament and other special events;
· Develops recruiting and youth marketing campaign directed to amateur hockey players;
· In conjunction with the Board of Directors, addresses NCAA legislative issues affecting
college hockey;
· Manages relationships with USA Hockey, National Hockey League and a variety of junior
hockey organizations;
· Ensures College Hockey Inc. is in compliance with NCAA rules;
· Develops and manages annual operating budget and finances for College Hockey Inc.; and
· Performs other duties as assigned.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
1) Knowledge of amateur hockey, particularly college hockey, and a level of experience with
the sport.
2) Knowledge of supervisory techniques, leadership training, coaching techniques and
appropriate consensus-building skills.
3) Knowledge of NCAA rules, specifically as they relate to recruiting.
4) Knowledge of appropriate computer software applications (e.g., PowerPoint, Excel,
QuickBooks) as they relate to the position.
5) Ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays when necessary.
6) Strong interpersonal, organizational, written and oral communication skills.
QUALIFICATION STANDARDS
1) Bachelor's degree in related field is required, Master's degree preferred.
2) Five years experience performing similar tasks is required.
Class II OSHA
NOTE: MANAGEMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR
REASSIGN JOB DUTIES OR COMBINE POSITIONS AT ANY TIME.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications and nominations of candidates should be sent via e-mail to Stephen Hagwell
(shagwell@ecachockey.com). All application materials must include a cover letter, resume and
list of professional references. College Hockey Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

It will be interesting to see who is selected or this job. 
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NHL wants to take a look at hybrid icing

Original NHL logo, used until 2005. A version ...
Original NHL logo, used until 2005. A version of the logo features it in the shape of a hockey puck. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I think this is a great idea for the NHL to look at the hybrid icing rule that is currently in use in the NCAA and USHL. If used correctly could prevent unnecessary injuries that are caused by the touch- up- icing.
New York --- Hybrid icing is the standard at the NCAA level and in the United States Hockey League. For next season, the NHL is expected to ask the AHL to use hybrid icing, which involves a linesman determining the winner of a race to the closest faceoff circle instead of who touches the puck first on plays in which the puck is sent the length of the ice from the defending team's side of the center-ice red line.

"We like it. We want to make sure we're not moving too quick," Detroit GM Ken Holland said. "We'd like to move it to the American League. We'd like to get it to the best league in the world below the National Hockey League and evaluate it with those players. Obviously it's in college and some other players [use it], but those players aren't nearly as good as the ones we're dealing with. I think there was one player injured this year on an icing. Obviously, we'd like zero, but it is one -- it is not 10, it is not 20."

The GMs remain divided on the issue, so observing the results in the AHL could provide better clarity before making a final decision on it for NHL games.
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Another NHL Lockout?

The possibility of the NHL having another lockout is looking more and more like a reality. I don’t believe we will see a season long lock out like we did during the 2004-05 season. There is also a possibility that if there is a lockout there are a half dozen teams that might not survive if there is a lockout.
NEWARK, N.J. - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr confirmed on Wednesday that their sides hope to begin discussions on a new collective agreement in the next few weeks.

This was one of several topics Bettman spoke about in his annual pre-Stanley Cup final state-of-the-union address. Fehr was in attendance to listen to Bettman speak in the bowels of the Prudential Center and afterwards the NHLPA boss held his own Q-and-A session with reporters.

It was ironic that Bettman announced in his session that the league enjoyed record revenues of $3.3-billion US this season. Yet, there is a strong possibility that the 2012-13 NHL season will not begin on time because of prolonged CBA fight.

So as we watch the Stanley Cup Finals between the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings – there is a possibility that this could be the only NHL hockey we have for a long time.
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Game one in the books - Kings up 1-0


Game one of the Stanley Cup Final between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils is in the book, the Kings won game one by a score of 2-1 on an overtime goal from forward Anze Kopitar at the 08:13 mark of overtime.Game two is on Saturday June 5th at 07:00 PM on NBC.

None of the former Fighting Sioux hockey players Travis Zajac, Zach Parise or Matt Greene showed up in the box score in last night's game.
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NHL to re-look at their obstruction fouls in off-season

When I saw this tweet from TSN's Darren Dreger today, I thought it's a little late to the party but I welcome the discussion in the off-season.  This is a long time coming and some tweeks need to be made to the NHL game.

In my opinion there has been way too much obstruction, hooking, holding and stick fouls in this seasons Stanley Cup Playoffs and the officiating has degraded from last year to this season. The later in the game the more a players can get away with on the ice
Other items on the agenda:

Hooking, holding and interference: Instead of holding a research and development camp this year, the NHL will hold a meeting of GMs, coaches, players and referees in August in Toronto. It will focus on the standard of enforcement of hooking, holding and interference penalties.

Some GMs complained the standard slipped this season, but Campbell said they needed to discuss the matter in the off-season, when people could put aside their self-interest and speak in more detail. []
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Parise's press conference


Check this out, former Fighting Sioux and current New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise is a hot commodity off the ice as well as two reporters almost end up slugging it out over positioning at the press conference.

Here is a great description of the incident from via Jill Painter of Inside the Kings,
There was a big scrum around Devils winger Zach Parise, and Parise almost had to break up a fight between reporters. The two men were jockeying for position with their tape recorder and microphone, respectively, when one yelled ``Stop it!’’ while Parise was talking.

The reporter smacked his notebook against the microphone, then used the spirals to run it down the microphone to impair the sound. Eventually, Parise was hit in the face by the microphone.

``Do we need to start this over?’’ Parise asked the men.

If they were wearing gloves, they would’ve dropped them right there.
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Everybody wants Zach

CBS New York
Former Fighting Sioux and current New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise is going to be one of the most sought after free agents in some time. Parise is going to be able to command a very hefty raise this summer and there are going to be teams lined up to pay him that hefty salary.
Jim Matheson, edmontonjournal.com --- Has there been a hotter ticket than New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise on the free-agent stage in the last 10 years?

You can see how badly he wants to win, the pistons pumping as he hunts down a loose puck in the neutral zone and sends it into the open net to ensure the Game 5 win for the Devils at Madison Square Garden.

He’s the engine that drives the Devils, with due respect to the big wheel Ilya Kovalchuk, who is much better than I thought he’d ever be when they gave him that lifetime contract as a free agent.

But how can there be room for both players next season and beyond when the Devils ownership is an absolute mess and Parise can easily get $8 million US on the open market?

The Devils have no wiggle room because Elias ($6 million) and Dainius Zubrus ($3.4 million) aren’t unrestricted free agents until July 2013, the same with Marek Zidlicky on defence.

There are four scenarios: Parise stays in New Jersey; he goes to Detroit, where the Red Wings will sell him on playing with Pavel Datsyuk, he slides over to the New York Rangers; or Parise, who turns 28 in July, goes home to suit up for the Minnesota Wild.
One can only speculate where Parise going after the July 1st when free agent can begin signing contracts with other clubs. You can bet that the Wild are going to be in the running and Michael Russo has basically stated that the Wild will give him the money he wants if he decided to come to Minnesota. With all of the young recruits in the pipeline ready to step up for the Wild this “might” be enough to convinced Parise to say yes to the Minnesota Wild. Or not! I guess we will find out around July, 1st?
In Minnesota, the citizenry are awash with expectations that Parise might want to come home. His dad, J.P., runs the hockey program at the exclusive Shattuck St. Mary’s prep school and Parise’s girlfriend is from North Dakota and one of J.P.’s best friends is former North Stars GM Lou Nanne, who holds significant sway in that area. But then again, plenty of NHLers don’t want the pressure of playing before friends and family.
Please Zach come to the state of hockey…
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Parise and Zajac never played together at UND

NJ.COM
This seems to be a common historical point of discussion – but incorrect – while it’s true that Zach Parise and Travis Zajac both played their collegiate hockey for the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux – Parise and Zajac never played together. It never happened; this could be cleared up by doing a simple search on Google. So it would be impossible for them to have developed chemistry at UND.

Parise was a member of the Fighting Sioux hockey team from 2002-04, Zajac arrived at UND in the fall of 2004 and played two season at UND as well, 2004-2006.
Larry Wigge --- Travis Zajac and Zach Parise go together like two peas in a pod.

They are center and winger, both from the University of North Dakota. Both worked well together there, so why not in the NHL. They feed off one another.

Zajac is the straw that stirs the drink and prefers to stay in the background to Parise's star status.

The secret is out, Zajac is a star too.

For much of the 2011-12 season, Zajac was a lost man ... a player without a team.
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NHL looking into Coyotes' antics

Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
You had to wonder after listening to some the comments that were made by the Phoenix Coyotes - during post game interviews - if there was going to be repercussions from the NHL. I understand that the refs weren't as good as they could have been.
Pierre LeBrun, ESPN.COM --- The NHL is further investigating the postgame actions and comments of some Phoenix Coyotes players after their season-ending, overtime loss in the Western Conference finals, league executive vice president Colin Campbell told ESPN.com on Thursday.

The league is not pleased with some of what happened after Dustin Penner's overtime winner Tuesday night for the Kings, including Coyotes center Martin Hanzal skating aggressively toward a referee and making a gesture, goalie Mike Smith throwing his stick and Keith Yandle's postgame comment in which he suggested it was no surprise the calls didn't go his team's way given the similar colors of the refs' and Kings' uniforms.

"Their actions were unprofessional and unacceptable," Campbell told ESPN.com
Most of us that watched the games this season during the Stanley Cup Playoffs realize that there have been a lot of questionable calls made on the ice in "all" of the series to date. That being said, there is a level of professionalism that NHL hockey players are supposed to exhibit and some of the Coyotes' post game comments were over-the-top and questionable.
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Classic Sid - Granlund would look better with Parise

English: Zach Parise
English: Zach Parise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Duh! I wonder if Sid has even been to a hockey game lately? I always get a kick out of Sid Hartman's writings - although hockey has never been a strong subject for Sid. Of course Parise would look better along side Mikael Granlund and or Mikko Koivu for that matter. There are probably 25-29 teams that are interested in the services of Zach Parise.
Sid Hartman, Star Tribune --- Lou Nanne, whom I describe as Mr. Hockey in this state, has been a close friend of J.P. Parise (Zach's father and a former Minnesota North Star) for a long, long time, and he has been a confidant of young Parise since the young man hung around local NHL teams.

Nanne is convinced that the Wild would have a good chance of signing Parise if New Jersey is fortunate enough to win the Stanley Cup -- they have a 3-2 lead on the Rangers in the Eastern Conference finals.

Parise has been great for New Jersey in the playoffs, with 14 points in 17 games on seven goals and seven assists.

"If Jersey does win, it could really benefit the Wild because Zach Parise is a free agent and he wants to win a Cup," Nanne said. "It might be tough for him to come here right away, but if he wins a Cup in New Jersey then that goal has already been met and then it might be really reasonable for him to come to the Wild as a free agent."

Nanne said Parise hasn't ruled out signing with anyone.
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Dustin Brown picture after hit on Michal Rozsival

I found this picture on my Twitter feed, this might not sit well with Phoenix Coyotes fans.
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The State of the NHL Officiating Corps.

English: NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman in 2007.
English: NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman in 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I have to be the guy to agree with a lot of what has been said regarding officiating but I also am going to be the guy to pose a theory to the masses for public consumption.

And, yeah, it is going to sound a lot like an apology for Brenden Shanahan but it isn't.

Brenden Shanahan is in a position no one wants to have but everyone has an opinion of what should be done by a person in such a position.  However, he's not done a good job or even an ok job with the position.  He has been inconsistent and unsatisfying in his performance.  It's just presented all glitzy with videos and bulleted lists.  But looking at it from afar, there's a lot that doesn't add up.

Look at the inconsistency and the double standards of Shanahan's actions doesn't appear to me that the decisions regarding whether or not to suspend players was actually being made by Shanahan.  His actions this year seemed almost identical to that of Colin Campbell's Wheel of Justice system.  There were a few times during Campbell's administration of this position and during Shanahan's administration where they went against the trend (such as suspending Ovechkin and perhaps you can argue that it was the case for Giroux and Backstrom but I'll get to that shortly) but that may only be to prevent appearance to the players that they are playing favors.

Add onto the fact that no matter what, when a fanbase sees their guys suspended for a hit they get mad and point out flaws in previous decisions and also when a fanbase sees their guys get hit and even injured they point to it as justification for the hitting player to get pummeled with the book.

It becomes a mess.

So where does Shanahan come in?  He comes in having never served in such a level of authority.  He only comes in as a face.  People know who he is.  That's about it.  So, when thrust into the limelight like this you have to sink or swim.  And here's where it gets interesting:

Can you improve the quality of a weakness when the primary weakness are the people above you on the chain of command?

Can Shanahan even suspend players like Malkin even if he wants to?  There is no secret that Bettman and Campbell's love children are Malkin, Crosby, and the Pittsburgh Penguins (to a certain extent).  Bettman has certain placed the emphasis on the PR marking campaign on the shoulders of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin by extension.  So would it do for the NHL to see either suspended?  I'm sure not.  So, I doubt Campbell would allow Shanahan to suspend either player (even though Crosby really has yet to administer an illegal or even questionable hit). 

As for Giroux and Backstrom being exceptions, I argue not so much.  I truly don't think that anyone other than Malkin and Crosby are truly exempt from suspension if the situation is right. 

But in the end, all it comes down to is Shanahan's bosses.  They truly do seem to be calling the shots and simply use Shanahan's player profile to deflect all the criticism away from Campbell and onto Shanahan.  Therefore, if it does fail (which it appears that it is so) Bettman can step forward and say "Look, we listened to you and we tried your idea and it failed.  Campbell knows what he's doing and we're just going to go back to the old way and try to hammer out some of the troubles through traditional channels."  Bettman still doesn't look bad that way and the only harm done is Shanahan's image being obliterated.  Shanahan never was a Crosby type so why would Bettman care. 

If this season was a first run test and next year is the real test for Shanahan, I'm betting he fails again because I don't think Shanahan truly has the autonomy necessary for Shanahan to live up to what he talks about.  He can suspend anyone with impunity (provided the situation and circumstances warrant it). 

I claim that Shanahan is nothing more than lipstick on a pig when it comes to the NHL Front Office.  It looks nice and he tries hard but in the end, you're not going to improve on officiating and Shanahan's job description with the likes of Gary Bettman and Colin Campbell still in positions of power.

What says you?
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Can Mike Smith be fined for his post game comments?

After listening to Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith's post game comments the first thing that came to mind was, the NHL could levy a fine against Smith for his post game comments about the officials. 

I will be the first one to admit that the NHL on ice officiating has been really poor during this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, but everyone has has had to play through it. In this series, the Kings were the better team, the Coyotes had no answer for the Kings speed through the neutral zone. The Kings also played a high pressure game and gave the Coyotes little in the way of offensive chances maybe Smith should give credit where credit is due.  There is a time to just say congrats to the other team and move on with your life and not look like a whiner. 

You can listen to the audio of the post game interview, you will hear that Smith was highly critical of the on ice officials in this game and series. I always said, win with class and you lose with class as well. 

"It's even more disappointing," Smith said. Not only did we get beat by them [Kings]... "We got beat by the officials too." 

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