Posts Tagged NHL News
Ovechkin Suspended For 2 Games
Posted by Derek in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Opinion on March 16th, 2010
“The National Hockey League has suspended Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin for two games for his hit on Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Brian Campbell on Sunday afternoon.
While the Capitals were not happy with the suspension, vice president and general manager George McPhee chose not to expand on his feelings.
“We have no problem with the way Alex tried to finish his check. Unfortunately, an injury resulted. We are disappointed with the suspension but do not want to comment further,” McPhee said in a statement Monday.” (Source:TSN)
This feels like Deja Vu to me, but as I stated in an earlier post when The Washington Capitals’ forward Alexander Ovechkin was suspended two games after his knee-on-knee hit with Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Tim Gleason, this is a trend that is going to continue as long as Ovechkin continues to abuse his “star status”.
I’ve watched the replay of this hit on Brian Campbell several times and I can’t even understand why Ovechkin delivered the hit in the first place. Campbell had already moved the puck, which is likely why he didn’t anticipate the hit coming a couple seconds after the fact, but in true Ovechkin style, he recklessly pushed Campbell into the boards to “finish his check”.
Like I said before, I’m a fan of OV’s game but he needs to figure out where the line is, when finishing a check does nothing to impact the play in a positive way for his team.
Judging by his comments, (his comments are detailed below in Mark’s post, along with video of the hit) he still doesn’t even see what was wrong with the play in the first place… That speaks to bigger problem, to say the least.
Anders Eriksson Acquired by New York Rangers
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Trades on March 3rd, 2010
“New York Rangers have acquired defenseman Anders Eriksson from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for goaltender Miika Wiikman and a seventh round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
The 35-year old Eriksson will report to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. He has three assists in 12 games with the Coyotes this season.” (Source:TSN)
This is a move that should push the Rangers deep into the playoffs…? In my opinion, they’d be better off with the 7th round pick.
Ottawa Senators Acquire Andy Sutton
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Trades on March 2nd, 2010
“The Ottawa Senators have acquired defenceman Andy Sutton from the New York Islanders for a second-round draft pick.
The pick is San Jose’s that Ottawa acquired in the Dany Heatley trade.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity,” Sutton told the Canadian Press. “Being an older player and getting a chance to play on such a great team and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup is a dream come true.” (Source:TSN)
At 6 foot 6 inches tall and 245 lbs, Andy Sutton is a big body and is currently second in the league with 153 blocked shots. He’ll bring some extra toughness to the Senators blueline, and with the playoffs looming, toughness is a commodity that the ‘Sens could definitely use.
Rangers Claim Alex Auld on Re-entry Waivers
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Rumors on February 27th, 2010
“The New York Rangers have claimed Alex Auld on re-entry waivers from the Dallas Stars.
Auld, 29, is 9-6-3 with a 3.00 goals against average and .894 save percentage in 21 appearances this season.
A free agent at season’s end, Auld is making $1-million this season, though the Rangers will only be responsible for half of his remaining salary this season, with the Stars picking up the other half. “(Source:TSN)
This move makes sense for the new York Rangers, Lundqvist can’t play every game.
Dominic Moore Traded To Montreal
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Trades on February 11th, 2010
“The Florida Panthers have traded forward Dominic Moore to the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round pick in the 2011 draft.
The trade call to confirm the deal is currently being placed with the NHL.
Moore, 29, has eight goals and nine assists in 48 games for Florida. He is earning $1.1 million this season and becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.” (Source:TSN)
I’d hate to say “I told you so” but Moore had a decent chance last season with Toronto but wanted more money then he was realistically worth. It was common opinion at the time that he should’ve taken the roughly $1.5 mil (I can’t remember exactly what he was being offered in Toronto, but it was fair market value..) per season he was being offered and tried to build momentum towards his next deal. Instead, he opted to force the issue and was traded to the Buffalo Sabers, and his career has been sliding downward ever since…
He was getting first line ice time in Toronto and felt he was deserving of money to reflect the production he was achieving, but let’s face it, his numbers with the Leafs reflected the fact he was getting first line ice time and power play time, luxuries I doubt he’ll enjoy with the Habs. It’s too bad but greed motivated his decision.
Kari Lehtonen Traded To The Dallas Stars
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Trades on February 9th, 2010
“The Atlanta Thrashers have traded goalie Kari Lehtonen to the Dallas Stars for defenceman Ivan Vishnevskiy and a fourth-round draft pick.
Lehtonen, 26, was recalled by Atlanta on Tuesday after completing a conditioning assignment with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. The Finnish backstop has not played this season after undergoing back surgery on Sept. 16.
Over four seasons with the Thrashers, Lehtonen compiled a record of 94-83-17 with 14 shutouts. He led Atlanta to the franchise’s only playoff appearance in 2006-07.” (Source:TSN)
This doesn’t look good for Marty Turco. There have been a lot of rumors surrounding Turco in recent weeks and it appears the writing’s on the wall in big D…
Centre Nazem Kadri Will Make NHL Debut Tonight For Leafs
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Rumors on February 8th, 2010
“Centre Nazem Kadri will make his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight.
The 19-year-old was called up on an emergency basis as Christian Hanson and Fredrik Sjostrom will both be sitting out with the flu.
Kadri has 26 goals and 40 assists in 42 games with the OHL’s London Knights this season.
The London, Ontario native was drafted seventh overall by the Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.” (Source:TSN)
It’s been an interesting week for the Toronto Maple Leafs and with Nazem Kadri making his NHL debut tonight, it’s going to get even more interesting with many in Leafs Nation holding their collective breath…
Kadri is the prized prospect in the Leafs system and as much as fans are anxious to see him with the big club, there’s a danger in putting 167 pound, 19 year old rookie on the ice with the big boys.
Kadri was pretty ordinary at the World Junior Championships and the impression many had was that he seemed dis-interested and somewhat undisciplined. That kind of play won’t be tolerated at the pro level, but it’s safe to say that his interest should be focused tonight.
I’m not suggesting that 1 game will set the tone for his entire career but there is comfort in ignorance regarding a players potential, and the days of romancing about the future of Nazem Kadri is coming to an abrupt end in Leaf land…
Hockey Night In Canada’s “Hotstove” video
Posted by Derek in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Trades, NHL Videos on February 7th, 2010
Every week during the second intermission of the CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada broadcast, they regularly have their “Hotstove” (Source:CBC.ca) segment, where trades and trade rumors are discussed. In last night’s edition they analyzed the Ilya Kovalchuk trade by Don Waddell of the Atlanta Thrashers to the New Jersey Devils.
The discussion was between host Ron MacLean, Pierre LeBrun, and Elliotte Friedman in studio with Mike Milbury via satellite from Washington.
The very fact that the CBC uses the opinion’s of Mike Milbury as an “expert” voice based on his previous role as GM of the New York Islanders is a joke in my eyes.
Here’s a quick summary of “Mad Mike Milbury” and his handy work with Ilses.. (Source: Wikipedia.com)
“He is a well-known figure in the National Hockey League for his controversial (and often quotable) style, as well as for his penchant for blockbuster trades.
During several of the years that Milbury served as Islanders GM, the team’s ownership mandated that he operate the team on an austere budget. In 1999 he was forced to trade star scorer Zigmund Palffy because team owners no longer wanted to pay his multi-million dollar contract.
However, Milbury has also been criticized for the many decisions he made in which payroll or orders for upper management were not factors. Many young players and prospects that Milbury traded away went on to have distinguished careers, often eclipsing those of the players he received in return. He has traded away defensemen Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden, Bryan Berard, Eric Brewer, Darius Kasparaitis, and Bryan McCabe; goalies Roberto Luongo and Tommy Salo, as well as forwards Olli Jokinen, Todd Bertuzzi, Tim Connolly, and Raffi Torres. Milbury has also come under fire for his draft day decisions such as choosing Rick DiPietro first overall in 2000 over Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik; as well as his decision to include the 2001 second overall draft pick (Jason Spezza) as part of the Alexei Yashin trade.
In June 2006, Milbury stepped down as Islanders GM to accept a position as Senior Vice President of Charles Wang’s sports holdings. In an appearance on Mike and the Mad Dog, Wang did not challenge a suggestion from the hosts that he “fired” Milbury. Milbury resigned from his Senior VP job in May 2007. He said that he missed making hockey-related decisions and would be open to a hockey operations job in another organization.”
You have to realize that this is television after all, and Mike does have a loud opinion. It’s no accident that he usually goes first with his out-spoken opinions, only to be slammed down by the rest of the panel. You can see for yourself around the 2:10 mark when LeBrun says “my opinion probably doesn’t matter, I wasn’t a GM like you Mike…” and you can see Friedman snickering at the sarcasm, just like the rest of us were snickering at home at the back-handed insult.
It really doesn’t matter what point Milbury’s trying to make or how legit it might be, I always find myself opposed to his opinion, like somehow I’ll find myself guilty of trading away all that youth in the Isle by association.
That said, I think he was trying to say that Waddel waited to long, essentially limiting Kovalchuk to being a rental player to prospective trade partners. I’m not sure what difference it would’ve made if he made the deal in August vs February, being as EVERYONE KNOWS that regardless of where Ilya Kovalchuk is playing come July 1st, HE WILL test free agency to try and maximize his profits, making him a rental player no matter what Don Waddell did or didn’t do.
Personally, I found it surprising that Lou Lamoriello of the New Jersey Devils would make a deal for a rental player, it’s not really his style, but he really didn’t give up much considering the potential impact a guy like Kovalchuk could provide for the Devils. On the other hand, if you take a look at Kovalchuk’s playoff record (which is limited of course) he has played in 4 games, all loses, with 1 goal and 2 points total.
I think we’ll have to wait and see if Ilya Kovalchuk can produce for the Devils in the playoffs before we can really say who got the better of this deal or what mistakes were made, Milbury’s opinion not withstanding.
A Tribute To “Jiggy” From The Anaheim Ducks
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Rumors on February 1st, 2010
“We would like to sincerely thank Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the class, dignity and professionalism he showed on and off the ice during nine memorable seasons with the Ducks.
Among those countless memories are a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2003, a Stanley Cup championship in 2007 and a number of franchise goaltending records.
Best of luck in Toronto, Jiggy.
Sincerely,
The Anaheim Ducks “ (Source: NHL.com/Ducks)
This statement is a show of class from the Anahiem Ducks to JS Giguere posted on NHL.com. In the wake of trading him to the Toronto Maple leafs on Sunday for Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake, the Ducks reached out to show to Giguere to show their appreciation and respect for the goaltender who brought the Stanley Cup to California.
There has been mixed emotions from the people I’ve talked to about this trade but I think this is a move that will help the Leafs, and more pointedly Jonas Gustavsson, in the future.
”The Monster” has shown some potential to be a NHL #1 goaltender but he needs a mentor he can respect to show him the ropes, and at 32 Giguere still has some quality years left to help achieve this end.
Brian Burke has certainly rolled the dice on this one but if “Jiggy” can return to even 85% of his former abilities it will be a deal worth doing. The plan going into this season was for Toskala to return to form after off-season surgery, and be traded at the deadline. At that point, the plan was for Gustavsson to take over as the future of the franchise. The problem is that Toskala ha struggled mightily all season and Gustavsson clearly isn’t ready for the work load.
It is true that Giguere will eat up a lot of cap space ($6.5 mil cap hit) but in getting the Ducks to take Jason Blake’s contract ($4 mil cap hit), the loss is negligable really. If you view it as a $2.5 mil loss next year and Gustavsson developes into a true #1 starter under Giguere’s guidance, it a mearly a monetary loss, and it’s common knowledge that the Leafs have plenty of that.
Audio of Players Reactions in the Aftermath of Huge Trade
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Rumors, NHL Trades on January 31st, 2010
Feb. 3rd: Flames Coach, Brent Sutter, and GM, Darryl Sutter on FAN960 with Rob Kerr
Feb. 1: Damien Cox of the Toronto Star talks with Gord Stellick and Don Landry Monday morning about the acquisitions of Dion Phaneuf and JS Giguere.
Peter Maher, the Voice of the Calgary Flames talks about the trade.
Not Audio, but numerous comments made via media conference calls from the JS Giguere/Vesa Toskala/Jason Blake trade. Worth a read. Also, a nice touch by the Ducks thanking Jiggy.
Jan. 31st: Here’s a link to The Fan590 Toronto Sports Radio website where you can listen to audio of the player reactions to the huge deal today between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames. (For those unaware of the trade, the details are listed below.)
You can also listen to Leafs GM Brian Burke discuss both deals made today (another trade took place between the Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks, details of which are also available below), and audio of Maple Leaf coach Ron Wilson discussing the the development from the coaching point of view.
Audio of Sutter’s Press conference at Flames.NHL.com.
Is Ron Wilson Serious?
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Trades on January 28th, 2010
Ok, Garnet Exelby has joined Jamal Mayers in expressing his desire to be moved out of Toronto. This really doesn’t come as a big surprise considering neither player has really had much playing time this season.
The Maple Leafs are deep in defencemen making more money then Exelby, with $21.925 million tied up in Mike Komisarek ($4.5 mil), Tomas Kaberle ($4.25 mil), Francois Beauchemin ($3.8 mil), Jeff Finger ($3.5 mil), Luke Schenn ($2.975 mil), and Mike Van Ryn ($2.9 mil) all against the salary cap. This pretty much put Exelby in the press box. The consistently good play of Ian White at $850 000 didn’t help Exelby’s chances either.
All that said, the really amazing part was how Ron Wilson was doing his thing with the media again. He more or less blames all of the problems in Leaf-land on the media, in one way or another, and chalked all the hype to “negative reporting” on our part… What? Should we not cover this situation? Do Leaf fans not want to hear about potential movement of players on a team that desperately needs change? Like it or not Ron, you coach in Toronto and people care about what’s going on with the Leafs. It’s not the media’s fault that there really isn’t anything “positive” to talk about. Instead of worrying about what the media is saying you should be worried about how long until it’s all been said, and no one is saying anything anymore.
The opposite of love isn’t hate, Mr. Wilson, it’s apathy.
Exelby was speaking candidly about his time in Toronto, and was really pretty politically correct in stating his wishes, as was Mayers…
“”It’s funny how things change and never quite work out the way you hope they might,” said Exelby on Wednesday. “I understand we have a team that’s deep in defencemen and it’s tough for me to get in the lineup and stay in the lineup. It’s been that way all year.”
A seldom-used defenceman who was acquired in an off-season deal that saw Pavel Kubina sent to the Atlanta Thrashers, Exelby added that he just wants a chance to play somewhere and doesn’t feel that will happen in Toronto.
“If there’s not much use for me here then I’ll be happy to go somewhere if it helps the team and do something that’s right for the organization,” he said.
Much like Exelby, Mayers says he is not pleased with his lack of playing time and thinks his rambunctious style could be put to better use on another team. But he vows his unhappiness will not manifest itself in a lack of effort on the ice with the blue and white.
“The reality is that I am a Leaf and I’m going to continue to work hard. That won’t change and hopefully people notice that,” said Mayers, who was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in 2008 for a third round pick.”" (Source: TSN)
As far as Exelby and Mayers are concerned, Wilson said that their numbers speak for themselves. It’s true, their numbers were weak. I was of the impression they were acquired to add toughness but I’ll entertain Wilson’s spin of the situation.
If it is fair to measure the players performance’s based on their numbers then the same rule should apply to evaluate Mr. Wilson himself. His numbers in Toronto are less then impressive to say the least. In 136 games coached in the last season and a half in Toronto, Wilsons record is 51 wins against 85 losses (including OT losses). This season their penelty kill is ranked 30th at 69.4% under Wison’s direction, a team system widely viewed as a coachable skill. The powerplay is clicking along at 16.5%, good for 25th overall.
How can that be spun to blame the media? Then again, maybe I’m just being negative.
Staal Responds in Style
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion on January 22nd, 2010
It didn’t take Eric Staal long to show how well he can lead the Carolina Hurricanes.
Staal scored a season-high three goals in his first game since becoming Carolina’s captain and the Hurricanes beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-2 on Thursday night for a rare road victory.” (Source: TSN)
As I talked about when Eric Staal was named the new captain of the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday (link to Wednesday’s article), this was a move that made sense for the Hurricanes. Staal responds to his new role with a hat trick (3 goals..just in case) in his first game as the official leader of the ‘Canes, which you know is a huge confidence boost in the dressing room right when they needed it, and cemented his status in the eyes of his teammates.
This is the best case scenario for the young captain. The motivation for naming him captain might have been nothing more then to shake things up without spending money, show the fans that they’re trying to make changes but the net gain for the Hurricanes could be much greater if Staal can continue to lead with this kind of confidence.
On a side note, Eric Staal was somewhat of a surprise pick (Canada is very deep in talent, especially at center) for the Canadian Olympic team, given his mediocre season so far. If he can elevate his game in his new role in Carolina he could be a real contributor for Canada’s efforts in Vancouver next month.
Eric Staal Named New Captain of Carolina Hurricanes
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion on January 20th, 2010
“The winds of change are blowing through Carolina as the Hurricanes announced that they have named Eric Staal as the team’s new captain.
“The time has come now for Eric to assume the top leadership role for his teammates,” Hurricanes’ general manager Jim Rutherford said in a statement. “This is part of the rebuilding process for the Hurricanes, as Eric is the player around whom the team will be structured. We feel confident in Eric’s ability to lead his teammates and are excited to begin this next era.”
Veteran Rod Brind’Amour had served as the team’s captain since August of 2005 and will remain as an alternate captain.” (Source: TSN Staff)
The move makes sense for the Hurricanes, with Eric Stall being only 25 and the future of the team. I’m not in agreement with a lot of teams naming young players captain just because of their star status, but Staal has earned this honour.
With the ‘Canes struggling this year, battling with the Edmonton Oilers for last in the entire league, there’s a chance Taylor Hall will be landing in Carolina. As great of a player and captain as Rod Brind’Amour has been, he’s turning 40 this summer. The truth is he would have a hard time relating to an 18 or 19 year old, and not enough years to shape him anyway. That was his job with Staal, a job well done in my opinion.
Vancouver Canucks Alex Burrows Speaks Out About Referee
Posted by Derek in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Rumors on January 12th, 2010
“Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows did not hold back about what he felt were unjust penalty calls, ripping into NHL referee Stephane Auger after Vancouver’s 3-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday night.
Burrows, who was called for diving in the second period and interference in the third, also received a 10-minute misconduct with seconds left in the game, and he was not shy his post-game interview.” (Source:TSN)
What an interesting situation last night in Vancouver. The referee in the spot light is Stephane Auger (his last name is pronounced o-j). According to Burrows, Auger came to him before the Anthem to let him know he would be getting retribution against Burrows for an incident earlier in the year, a hit Burrows received in a game against the Predators in Nashville.
Quoting Burrows..
“It was personal. It started in warmup, before the anthem,” Burrows said of Auger’s penalty calling. “(Auger) came over to me and he said I made him look bad in Nashville on the (Jerred) Smithson hit and he said he was going to get me back tonight.”
Burrows was referring to an incident back in December when the Preds’ Smithson hit Burrows and was given a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct. On Monday night, Burrows said Auger was getting back at him.
“When Smithson hit me from sideways and he (Auger) said, ‘I saw the replay, you had your head up, you weren’t really hurt and you made me look bad so I’m going to get you back tonight,’ and he did, and he cost us two points.
These are some pretty serious allegations, ones that could call the integrity of the whole league itself into question. How is this any different than the NBA referee who was fixing games for betting purposes?
You can bet the NHL spin team will be working overtime to figure out a way to quiet this down, but I can’t help but sit here and think back to all the bad calls I’ve witnessed over the years and wonder…
As a fan of hockey, ignorance was bliss. You could get upset over the poor calls, swear at the TV, but in the back of your mind you always believed that the refereeing was legit. If you can’t have impartial judgement from the refs, than what do you have?
From this point forward there will always be that question nagging at you as you watch what you perceive (fairly or unfairly) to be a blown call; Was there some ulterior motive to this call? Do we need to look at video from the last 10 games this guy refereed for this team to see if there was a slight to his honour by a certain player? This is the slippery slope that could cripple the NHL if it loses credibility with the public. A very slippery slope indeed.
Now lets not be naive, we all know that at the professional level of any sport the refereeing is always in question, (by the fans and media) and a player who exaggerates the seriousness of a hit to create a powerplay for his team must know that the ref will see the replay at some point after the game.
This player should than also know that the ref in question won’t appreciate being made to look the fool, but one would also assume that the ref would understand that the idea of the player was to get the advantage for his team, not to embarrass the referee.
There seems to be an issue with Auger’s ego. What hockey fan pays that much attention to who the referee is? Maybe during the game you notice, or perhaps as the game starts you say “oh no, not So And So tonight” or whatever, but do you really think there’s a bunch of guy’s in some basement, wearing referee stripes and whistles, cheering because Stephane Auger won against Alexander Burrows?
Oh yeah, by the way, wasn’t Burrows named NHL player of the week last week?
Chris Chelios Arrested for Driving Under Influence
“Former Blackhawks star Chris Chelios was hit with a DUI charge following a late December traffic stop in west suburban Westmont, police said Tuesday.
Christos K. Chelios, 47, of Bloomfield, Mich., was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol after a Dec. 28 traffic stop, according to Westmont police. He was also ticketed for speeding and improper lane usage.” (Source: Chicago Sun-Times)
Well, what can I say? Chris Chelios signed with the AHL Chicago Wolves to bring leadership, and a role model influence, to the younger players there. The details are limited at this point, the due process is being followed, but you have to anticipate that if he’s found guilty, the Wolves will cut ties with the former NHL All-star. It would be a sad way to end an inspiring career.
Vancouver Canucks Bieksa out 2-3 Months
Posted by Derek in NHL Injuries, NHL News on January 4th, 2010
“The Vancouver Canucks received some awful news on the injury front Monday when they learned that they would be without defenceman Kevin Bieksa for up to three months with severed tendons in his left ankle.
The rugged blueliner originally suffered the injury during the Canucks December 29th loss to the Phoenix Coyotes when he collided with the Coyotes’ Petr Prucha. Prucha’s skate caught Bieksa just above his left ankle, severing the tendons but missing his Achilles tendon.” (Source: TSN)
Although this is a loss for the Canucks, it likely won’t be a significant one. Kevin Bieksa has been struggling the last couple seasons, and with only one goal this season so far, his production offensively is clearly lacking.
His tough physical presence in front of goalie Roberto Luongo will be missed but the Canucks do have about $2.289 million in cap space (source:nhlnumbers.com) to make a move to replace the toughness they lose with Bieksa out. Garnet Exelby of the Toronto Maple Leafs, at a cap hit of $1.392 million, could replace that toughness. It’s common knowledge that the Leafs have defencemen to move and will be looking to acquire picks in return.
Justin Williams Out Indefinitely With Broken Right Leg
Posted by Derek in NHL Injuries, NHL News on December 28th, 2009
“Los Angeles Kings right wing Justin Williams broke his right leg early in the first period in a loss to Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night.
Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski was spinning off a check of Kings centre Anze Kopitar to hit Williams behind the Phoenix net when both players fell onto Williams.
Williams fell backward with his right leg trapped underneath his torso, dropped onto his back and remained on the ice as play continued briefly in the Kings’ end. He was taken off by stretcher after a lengthy delay at 4:27 of the first period.” (source-TSN)
You have to feel for Justin Williams. This guy has had several major injuries to set him back in the past and it appears he has been bit by the injury bug once again…
Transactions / Injuries / Suspensions (stats chart source-TSN)
27-Dec-09 Broken right leg, sidelined indefinitely.
02-Nov-09 Missed 5 games (lower body injury).
24-Oct-09 Lower body injury, day-to-day.
22-Oct-09 Lower body injury, day-to-day.
20-Mar-09 Missed 15 games (broken hand).
04-Mar-09 Acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes.
16-Feb-09 Broken hand, sidelined indefinitely.
04-Dec-08 Missed 25 games (achilles tendon).
17-Sep-08 Achilles’ tendon, sidelined indefinitely.
05-Apr-08 Missed the last 2 games of the regular season (back injury).
02-Apr-08 Back injury, day-to-day.
01-Apr-08 Missed 43 games (torn ACL).
21-Dec-07 Torn ACL, remainder of the regular season.
30-Jun-06 Re-signed by the Carolina Hurricanes.
04-Oct-05 Shoulder injury, day-to-day.
10-Aug-05 Re-signed as a restricted free agent by the Carolina Hurricanes to a one-year contract.
21-Sep-04 NHL Lockout: Signed with the Lulea HF of the Elitserein (Sweden).
29-Jul-04 Re-signed by the Carolina Hurricanes to a one-year contract.
27-Mar-04 Missed 1 game (bruised ankle).
25-Mar-04 Bruised ankle, day-to-day.
21-Feb-04 Missed 3 games (broken left wrist).
13-Feb-04 Broken left wrist, sidelined indefinitely.
20-Jan-04 Acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers.
30-Jul-03 Re-signed by the Philadelphia Flyers to a one-year contract.
06-Apr-03 Missed 36 games (sprained left knee).
04-Apr-03 Sprained left knee, day-to-day.
20-Jan-03 Sprained left knee, remainder of the regular season.
18-Jan-03 Sprained left knee, left Saturday’s game.
27-Nov-02 Missed 5 games (strained left shoulder).
15-Nov-02 Strained left shoulder, early December.
16-Dec-01 Missed 3 games (sprained right shoulder).
10-Dec-01 Sprained right shoulder, day-to-day.
19-Mar-01 Missed 12 games (broken finger).
22-Feb-01 Broken finger, late March.
Williams has eight goals and 16 assists in 33 games and when he’s healthy he can really be an impact player. The problem is, judging by his past record, he’s either injury prone or holiday prone.
Jason Spezza out up to 8 weeks
Posted by Derek in NHL Injuries, NHL News on December 15th, 2009
“Ottawa Senators centre Jason Spezza suffered a serious knee injury in Monday’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the full extent of the injury.
The Ottawa Citizen is reporting that Senators head coach Cory Clouston said Spezza will not require surgery but could be out up to eight weeks.” (Source:TSN)
Jason Spezza can’t buy a break this season. It’s no secret that Spezza has been struggling mightily this season so far, and now he will suffer a huge setback with a serious knee injury.
It’s hard to put your finger on what factors are to blame for his poor offensive output to this point, but you can certainly suggest that the loss of sniper Dany Heatley isn’t helping. With just 5 goals and 14 assists Spezza has been a disappointment in Ottawa, with frequent giveaways and seemingly disinterested play.
Watching him last night it was almost like he was passing to areas where he expected a teammate to be, and looked confused when it resulted in a blatant giveaway. He would do well to simplify his game a bit and try to get in the same frame of mind as his teammates when he does return.
Ovechkin Gets 2 Game Suspension
Washington Capitals’ forward Alexander Ovechkin has been suspended two games after his knee-on-knee hit with Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Tim Gleason.
Ovechkin was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct on the play, which left both players sprawled on the ice.
“I regret that this has happened,” Ovechkin said in a statement. “I’m glad that Tim wasn’t injured because I never ever want to see anyone get hurt. I am disappointed to miss these games and I can’t wait to get back on the ice next week to help my team.” (Source: TSN)
Who didn’t know this day was coming? You can argue until you’re blue in the face as to whether or not Ovechkin intentionally knee checked Tim Gleason, or Sergei Gonchar in the playoffs last year for that matter, but the fact is that Ovechkin’s been running around taking every opportunity to hit guys as hard as possible, regardless of the potential consequences, for a couple years now.
I’m a fan of tough hockey as much as anyone is, and for the most part I’m a huge OV fan, but at some point the NHL is going to have to stop giving him free reign on the ice. We all know that there’s a different set of rules for star players, a little nudge-nudge, wink-wink type of arrangement where a guy of Ovechkin’s star power will be given a little extra rope to play with, as long as he keeps putting fans in the seats.
Here-in lies the big problem though….star players are supposed to use this extra rope to put pucks in the net, not to take liberties with other players careers. How can the NHL talk about getting tough on headshots, and charging, and all the other types of questionable hits that happen during a game, when one of their marquee player is just as guilty of these hits as anyone else?
In hockey, as in life in general, these things have a way of balancing out and it will be a tremendous loss for hockey when Ovechkin gets seriously injured, whether by a hit he delivers or receives, but it seems inevitable that it will happen.
The Headshot Issue…
Posted by Derek in NHL Injuries, NHL News on November 16th, 2009
The NHL season isn’t officially started until we have our first “Hot Topic” regarding the rules in hockey and what we can do to “fix the game”. Hockey fans and media alike enjoy nothing more than to talk endlessly about the state of the game and offer our amateur opinions on what the league needs to do to address the current problems that are plaguing the game we love.
This year it is the issue of body checks to the head, or “headshots” if you will, that has all the buzz. Mike Richards hit on David Booth got the ball rolling and there have been other instances to further add fuel to the fire.
The issue I’d like to address though is that for every change to the rules that is implemented, there’s a trickle down effect that wasn’t foreseen when the rule change was first proposed.
For example, the “Hot Topic” issue pre-lockout was the neutral zone trap and all the interference that went with it. The game was too slow in many opinions and too “fix” the game the NHL should penalize all obstruction to open things up. Furthermore, goalies (namely Martin Brodeur of the trap happy New Jersey Devils) were too free to play the puck and in conjunction with the trap, teams couldn’t establish a fore check and scoring was suffering league-wide as a result.
As a reaction to all of the discontent, the NHL got tough on obstruction, calling all stick infractions that impededed opposing players progress into the attacking zone, and opened up the game for the skilled players to shine. In addition, they added a trapezoidal space behind the net for goalies to stop the dump around the boards, but prevent them from playing the soft dump-in from the corner, further opening up the scoring chances and hindering the effectiveness of the trap even more.
Problem solved, right?
Well, the game has opened up post lockout and the trap is more or less neutralized, but with every action there is an equal reaction. The spin off of all the rule changes mentioned above is players racing in, un-obstructed, to hit the defenseman at full speed. The objective of allowing the game to open up, get faster, has surely been achieved but the consequence of this change is that players are hitting each other at much higher speeds, resulting in too many injuries.
The problem with making changes to any game is that humans will always adapt and find a way to use the new environment to their advantage. It’s impossible to say whether any new rules or discipline will have the desired effect regarding headshots, but you can say with certainty that any changes the NHL does make will have some unforseen downsides.
It’s my opinion that the only way to stop the problems is to stop trying to stop the problems and let the game evolve naturally. Give the players a few years to work out the situation and come to the conclusion that with all the running around and killing each other, they’re doing some serious damage to their financial well being, and maybe as a group they’ll figure out that it’s in the collectives best interest to play with a bit of respect for one another.
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