Kukla's Korner

Luc Goes Cold

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/16/05 at 09:12 AM ET | Comments (0)

from the LA Daily News,

The subject of Luc Robitaille is not a comfortable one for the Kings. Robitaille, a certain Hall of Famer, needs just three goals to tie Marcel Dionne's franchise career record of 550, but these days Robitaille is on the verge of becoming the Kings' invisible man. Since he returned from a leg injury, Robitaille has one goal and no assists in 10 games and his minutes have dwindled. In Wednesday's loss to Washington, Robitaille played five minutes, 10 seconds and had just one shift in the third period, the low point of a frustrating season in which he has five goals in 20 games. "Physically, I'm great," Robitaille said. "(Mentally,) I'm OK. It's never fun, but we'll see what happens."

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Lemaire Goes Off

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/16/05 at 09:08 AM ET | Comments (0)

from the Pioneer Press,

The Wild absorbed another bitter loss Thursday night (to Boston) that left goalie Manny Fernandez seething, his snakebitten teammates exasperated and coach Jacques Lemaire ranting. "If they couldn't see the replay that the guy pushed it with his hand, well, they need good glasses," Lemaire said. "It's so obvious on the replay. You don't need to do hockey for 20 years to see that the guy... he pushed the puck in the net. A kid could notice that." The episode opened the door for Lemaire to scorch the remaining off-ice officials responsible for recording statistics and running the penalty and game clocks — a crew separate from the supervisor and video replay judge. "I've been here for five years. It's got to be the worst crew I've seen in my entire career," he said. "They've been told by the NHL that they're the best. I know why they tell them that. They're the best because everywhere you go, they cheat on seconds before they blow the whistle so the home team gets more seconds. We live through this all the time. "Here, it's the opposite. Maybe that's why they're saying they're great."

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Brrr! Lambeau In February

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/16/05 at 08:56 AM ET | Comments (0)

from the Green Bay Press-Gazette,

The lure of hockey on the so-called frozen tundra of Lambeau Field has proven to be so strong that more than 31,000 tickets have been sold for the Feb. 11 game between the University of Wisconsin and Ohio State. The historic football stadium will hold about 41,000 fans when configured for the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic. That leaves about 10,000 tickets available for the 3 p.m. game, said Mark Wagner, the Green Bay Packers' director of ticket operations.

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Level Playing Field Tilted

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/16/05 at 08:44 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,

...Gary Bettman told the league's governors in Arizona that the salary cap was expected to rise as high as $45 million for next season. If it happens, it would be a $6 million (all figures U.S.) per team increase from this season. Even more important, perhaps, the maximum salary would rise to $9 million from $7.8 million. All of this means, ladies and gentlemen, that the "level playing field" supposedly created by the institution of the cap system just became skewed once again in favour of the league's richest teams. Tilt. Ostensibly, this is good news for the NHL because it means business is, in relative terms, good, although the improved Canadian dollar did a great deal to help the balance sheet look rosier.

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Sullivan Knows Shania

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/15/05 at 07:37 PM ET | Comments (0)

from a Q & A at ESPN,

Q: Speaking of music icons, you are from the same hometown as Shania Twain. Have you ever met her? A: Yeah, we met a few times. She threw a huge banquet concert in Timmins, Ontario, in 1999. She had a big dinner the night before the concert and I was invited to go meet her. I was star struck when I met her. We talked for awhile, and during the concert, she brought me on stage with her. She's a great girl, down to earth. Her fame hasn't changed her. She's totally down to earth. Q: When you drive into the town line of Timmins, what does the sign say? A: It says "Welcome to Timmins: Home of Shania Twain."

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Cap Will Rise

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/15/05 at 06:16 PM ET | Comments (0)

via the CP,

The NHL's spirited comeback from its labour lockout appears to be good news for the bottom line next year. A source at the NHL board of governors' meeting said current projections show next season's salary cap will be between $40 million and $45 million (U.S.).

More precisely, Bettman told owners Thursday that current projections call for revenues to be just over $2 billion this season. Under the CBA, the next season's salary cap is based on the previous year's revenue total. Revenues of exactly $2 billion for this year would correspond to a $41.6-million salary cap next season, $2.1 billion in revenue would give a $43.4-million cap, and $2.2 billion would bring on a $45.3-million cap. If attendance dips in the coming months and revenues instead total $1.9 billion, the cap would be $39.8 million next season. "I know historically the projections we get at this point in the season, they could still be two, three, four per cent off," Bettman said after the four-hour session. "And so what we did is, with some degree of comfort and intuitiveness, said this is where we think we're going to be. But I think it looks pretty clear that it's going to start with a two ($2 billion or more). "Clearly the cap is going up this year and that's good for everybody."

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

It Was Garth, Not Larry

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/15/05 at 05:44 PM ET | Comments (0)

Brooks addresses NHL owners' meeting When I first read the headline from TSN, I thought Bettman had lost his mind. Inviting Larry Brooks to speak to the Board Of Governors was a death wish! from the CP via TSN,

Country music star Garth Brooks had the floor at the NHL's board of governors meeting Thursday, explaining to owners and GMs why his charity foundation does so much work with hockey. "I'm a fan of the game but I can't skate worth a damn - with a butt like this, of course, you knew that," Brooks said after his presentation. "I love the game. I love the speed of it, and truthfully I've fallen in love with the players because these guys are the sweetest. And they're just kids, so it's nice to see."

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Breaking Down Olympic Hockey Teams

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/15/05 at 05:14 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Sports Illustrated,

We're less than a week away from the United States and Canada naming their Olympic hockey rosters (Dec. 19 for the U.S., the 22nd for the Canadians). It should be a tough tournament for both teams, who will vie with 10 other countries for medals.

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Mogilny Latest Russian To Drop Out Of Olympics

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/15/05 at 04:37 PM ET | Comments (0)

via TSN,

The chance to play for former linemate Pavel Bure was not enough to lure Alexander Mogilny to Turin, as the veteran winger told TSN that he has withdrawn his name from consideration for Team Russia at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Players Got Olczyk Fired

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/15/05 at 04:29 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Barry Melrose of ESPN,

Make no mistake about it -- the players cost Olczyk his job. The players have the most responsibility, the players are the ones out there playing. The team can sit around Thursday, talking about how tough it is that the Penguins let Eddie go, but the players are the ones that got him fired. They got him fired because they didn't play well. The team started out the season with so much hope. Sidney Crosby came to town, ticket sales were up, attendance was up.

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

« Previous       ‹ First  < 6154 6155 6156 6157 6158 >  Last ›      Next »