Kukla's Korner

Early December Hockey Thoughts

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/04/19 at 03:11 PM ET | Comments (7)

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Maybe the most impossible question to answer is what Mike Babcock’s future will be. When he was fired, word was that at least two teams privately reached out to gauge his interest in coaching right away — only to be told that he preferred to take some time. I heard from people in Russia that there was KHL interest, either as a coach or a consultant. There were rumours he’d be offered a World Junior role (not as head coach, but in an advisory position) and/or the head job for the World Championships. Then came the avalanche, and now that’s all in doubt....

- Chris Chelios’s Spittin’ Chiclets interview about Babcock had some confusing timelines, because when the Johan Franzen incident occurred (as Nashville eliminated Detroit in Game 5 of the 2012 first round), Chelios was no longer on the Red Wings. He referenced a meeting Ken Holland had with the players, where the GM defended his coach. I think this has to do with Marty McSorley. McSorley worked on San Jose Sharks broadcasts, and once said none of the Red Wings liked playing for Babcock. Word got back to Detroit reporters, who asked Holland about it....

- Reminder of other situations to watch: Los Angeles with most of their veterans, with the exception of Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar; Buffalo with its defence; Carolina continues to look for a top-nine forward. Meanwhile, things have calmed in Minnesota as the Wild show a surge.

- And one GM predicts, “Watch St. Louis. They think they can repeat, and they will go for it.”

more on the first two topics plus additional Thoughts...

Filed in: NHL Teams, NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Ken Holland Says Respect Is The Key

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

12/04/19 at 02:03 PM ET | Comments (11)

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
 

Steve Yzerman Will Be Watching Zadina And Hirose Tonight

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

12/04/19 at 01:20 PM ET | Comments (4)

added 4:31pm, below, find the after practice talk video.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
 

2020 Draft Rankings In December

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

12/04/19 at 12:27 PM ET | Comments (8)

I am putting this in A2Y and you should know why.

from Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet,

Here’s our December list of the top 31 NHL Draft prospects.

1. Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL): Mystery surrounding his absence from the CIBC Canada-Russia series along with an incident involving an official, have shown an edgier side.

2. Quinton Byfield, C, Sudbury Wolves (OHL): Exhibits the ability to play in all three zones. Is extremely agile for his size, yet he has plenty of room on his frame to add strength.

3. Lucas Raymond, LW, Frolunda (SHL): Numbers playing against men (five points in 16 games) are mitigating due to lack of ice-time. Should excel once again at the world juniors, which would be a big confidence booster.

read on

Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
 

Practice Has Started

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

12/04/19 at 11:10 AM ET | Comments (5)

via Ansar Khan tweet,

lines and D pairs at practice:
Bertuzzi-Larkin-Fabbri
Athanasiou-Filppula-Glendening
Abdelkader-Nielsen-Helm
Erne-Ehn-Perlini
Nemeth-Hronek
Cholowski-Green
Biega-McIlrath
Ericsson-Bowey

added 11:59am, Khan...

power-play units in practice:
1. Bertuzzi (net front), Larkin (slot), Fabbri-Perlini (half walls), Cholowski (point).
2. Nielsen (net front), Filppula (slot), Hronek-Athanasiou (half walls), Green (point).
Perlini probably holding Zadina's spot, assuming he's back Sat.

added 12:14pm, Khan mentions a tweak to the power play...

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
 

Mattias Norstrom On Marc Crawford/Sean Avery

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/04/19 at 10:49 AM ET | Comments (5)

from Lisa Dillman of The Athletic,

Former Kings captain Norstrom talks Marc Crawford’s behavior and Sean Avery pushing people’s buttons

Norstrom, who played in 903 NHL games, appeared in 62 games in 2006-07 under Crawford. In February of that season, he was traded to the Dallas Stars in a multi-player deal which also involved draft picks.

“I never had that kind of confrontation,” said Norstrom, who was the Kings’ captain. “But he was strong-willed. I also just read that Sean Avery was one of the players that came out with information about Crow. In all fairness, that’s how Sean approached people around him and confronted people, in your face. I won’t say physical. But with in-your-face challenging. Sean did that with everyone. Players, coaches, opponents, teammates. That was his way. He wouldn’t take anything from anyone. He confronted them. In your face.

“So was Crawford. He confronted people in that sense.”

much more (paid subscription)

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: marc+crawford, mattias+norstrom, sean+avery

All Don Waddell

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/04/19 at 10:39 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Michael Smith of CarolinaHurricanes.com,

Our chat touched on a number of subjects, including the team's start, contributions from young players, Erik Haula's injury, Justin Williams and more.

Hurricanes.com: Anything new on Justin Williams?

Waddell: We continue to talk with him. I think he's working out a little bit more on his own right now. I think he's going to start coming to the gym a little more. That's a positive sign. What that end result is yet is still a mystery to all of us, but we're hopeful that maybe there is an opportunity there to have him come back.

more Q & A...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: don+waddell

Video- Late Night Line- Joe Thornton And Tom Wilson

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/04/19 at 02:58 AM ET | Comments (0)

Filed in: NHL Teams, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: joe+thornton, tom+wilson

Video- Ryan Johansen With A Reverse Elbow On Brayden Point

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/04/19 at 02:42 AM ET | Comments (1)

Five for elbowing and a game misconduct after a review.

 

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: brayden+point, ryan+johansen

KK- Update On the Donation Drive

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/04/19 at 02:32 AM ET | Comments (9)

update 2:32am on 12/4/19, Thanks to all for the donations, the KK Donation Drive was a success.  Original post was on 12/2/19 at 10:4am.  The sticky on this post has been removed.

Last Friday, I started a KK Donation Drive and it is going okay ($525) as of this morning.

Another $500 would be great and allow me to carry on for the next 3-4 months.

As I mentioned in the original post, a huge, anonymous donation has been made over the last 2 years which basically covers my hosting fee for the hockey season.

You can get donation information in the link above or get it below.

Any little bit helps and is much appreciated.

For the 28K+ followers on Twitter, again any amount helps, just imagine if just 10% of those followers donated $5.  

You would not see a KK Donation Drive for at least 2 years.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

« Previous        < 1 2 3 4 >  Last ›      Next »