Kukla's Korner

Still The Same

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

01/29/07 at 07:04 PM ET | Comments (0)

from the CP via CBC,

Peter Forsberg’s future with the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t become any clearer Monday despite a meeting with GM Paul Holmgren.
With trade rumours swirling around the veteran star centre, Forsberg and Holmgren agreed the only thing that matters right now is figuring out the player’s foot/skate problems which have plagued him all season long.
“We said that we have to figure out the foot before we talk about anything else,” Forsberg told reporters after the meeting. “And that’s what we’re going to focus on.”

continued

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Brand Strength & More

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

01/29/07 at 06:36 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Ad Age,

After a lockout canceled its entire 2004-2005 season, Gary Bettman’s NHL returned last year to record attendance and record revenue. The commissioner credits the strength of the brand, and cites efforts to reconnect with the league’s tech-savvy fans via new media such as NHL.com, where traffic is up 100% over last year.
Ad Age: Now that we’re a year removed from the canceled season, can you talk about how you kept everybody onboard? You didn’t lose a single sponsor.
Mr. Bettman: Last season was about relaunching our game under extraordinary circumstances. There are few, if any, businesses—not just professional sports—that could endure not operating for a year and then come back to record attendance and record revenue. It’s testament to our great fans and the strength of the brand. We had to use all of our assets to re-engage our fans.

continued

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Pens Fathers Take A Trip

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

01/29/07 at 06:27 PM ET | Comments (0)

from the Pittsburgh Penguins,

Nearly all the fathers of the players and some staff members accompanied the team for its recent two-game roadtrip to Dallas and Phoenix in the organization’s first fathers trip.
The result – two crucial wins and some unforgettable memories.
“It was so nice of the Penguins to have it,” said Dan Whitney, the father of Ryan Whitney. “It was so much fun just getting to meet some of the other fathers. It was neat putting a face with a name.”

read on

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Calgary Gets Conroy

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

01/29/07 at 06:18 PM ET | Comments (0)

via the LA Kings,

The Los Angeles Kings have traded center Craig Conroy to the Calgary Flames in exchange for center Jamie Lundmark, a fourth-round draft choice in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and a second-round draft choice in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today

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Khan(!) On Strickland’s Claims Of Discontent

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By IwoCPO

01/29/07 at 05:21 PM ET | Comments (0)

Ansar Khan, Wings beat writer for Mlive addresses Strickland in an email I received…

It’s crap. I’m going to address it a little in my blog. But I’ll just say this: Sure, Babcock’s not the loveable sort, but isn’t that why they hired him? They didn’t want another players’ coach like Dave Lewis, they wanted someone to kick these guys in the pants after two playoff flops.

I can tell you this: The front office is very happy with the way the team has played this season. They really thought they’d be struggling to make the playoffs and they feel they’ve overachieved, that Babcock has gotten the most out of them. Are there issues? Of course. The bottom line, as Babcock is fond of saying, will be how the team fares in theplayoffs.

If they get bounced early, he’s likely gone. If they win two rounds, he’ll stay. It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t matter what the players think of him; all that counts is how the team performs.

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A Bad 14 Year Run

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

01/29/07 at 05:12 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports,

The Bettman era has been an unmitigated disaster for the league in virtually every possible way, one outrageously terrible initiative after another.
I could write a book about Bettman’s insulting and imbecilic moves through the years (Chapter 9, “The Glowing Puck”) but the main problem has always been the same. He has shown no respect for the game, for its history, for its fans, for its unique qualities.
Bettman might consider himself an astute sports marketer, but in practice he is arguably the worst of all-time. He has never figured out how to change his marketing plans to fit the product of hockey. Instead he changed the product to fit his marketing plans.
The league is now overexpanded and overpriced, misplaced and misdirected. It is less exciting, less interesting, less traditional and more difficult to follow for the non-obsessive fan.

more

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Don’t Show Your Hand

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

01/29/07 at 04:42 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

...Just don’t expect that whatever they decide, they necessarily share that information with the hockey public at large. What if, for example, the Flyers convince Forsberg that his greatest contribution to the long-term future of the organization is to go to a contender for the final six weeks of the season and playoffs and then re-sign with Philadelphia when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1? That way, Forsberg can do something for the Flyers today (help them land a prospect and/or draft choices) and then something for tomorrow (coming right back to the City Of Brotherly Love to prove this year was an aberration and they really aren’t as bad as their record in the overall standings indicates).

more...
The Flyers should not be saying anything on the status of Forsberg, the less known the better- for the Flyers.

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Former DD Captain Headed To The Dark Side?

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By IwoCPO

01/29/07 at 04:12 PM ET | Comments (0)

And the hits just keep onnnnn comin’!

Reliable word has it that former Deep Digger captain Ted Kulfan will soon join Dwayne Klessel’s stable of bloggers.  Rather an interesting choice since Ted has had a little difficulty maintaining any blogging frequency for the company that legitimately employs him, namely the Detroit News.

So, Kulfan to Klessel…in exchange for, oh…his soul?  Let’s call that one an (e7).  Those of you with Navy backgrounds know how I feel about that particular rating.

Note to Ted: you take enough grief as a Deep Digger. Are you sure you want this kind of attention?

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A Return For Kasparaitis?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

01/29/07 at 04:10 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Kara Yorio of the Sporting News,

Kasparaitis was sent to AHL Hartford after clearing waivers. He’ll use his time there to get back into game shape, but his demotion is indefinite.
If the Rangers decide they need a little veteran leadership and an irritating physical presence at the blue line, they will not hesitate to bring back Kasparaitis. Until then, the team hopes a little youth will give it a spark in the second half. ...

more NHL talk…

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Difference Makers In The East

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

01/29/07 at 03:51 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Darren Eliot at Sports Illustrated,

With the All-Star Game in the rearview mirror, it’s time to turn full attention to the players who are potential difference-makers over the final 30 games or so. That’s of particular importance to the teams that are hovering around the NHL’s Mendoza line—the coveted eighth and final playoff spot—which this year consists of at least a half dozen squads in each conference.
With that in mind, here are three guys who can truly impact their teams’ fortunes in the Eastern Conference with a strong finish.
Sergei Samsonov, Canadiens
Brad Richards, Lightning
Matt Cullen, Rangers

read on...

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