Kukla's Korner Hockey
Messier Tribute
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 02:30 PM ET
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from TSN,
The 2005-06 NHL season will begin without the league's second-leading scorer of all time, as Mark Messier has officially announced his retirement from the game. The Rangers announced that the team will retire his jersey on Jan. 12 in a game against the Edmonton Oilers. Messier, who turns 45 in January, has been decorated with endless awards, trophies and international accolades during his NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.more update 3:00pm, Stan Fischler pays tribute to "Moose",
Where does Mark Messier stand in the pantheon of hockey players? I have always considered Gordie Howe the greatest all-around player of all-time; Wayne Gretzky included. Messier is the latter-day Howe.
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Getting Personal with Crosby
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 12:00 PM ET
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from the Pittsburgh Penguins,
Crosby’s 18th birthday celebration (on Aug. 8) was a perfect representation of his humble personality. “I was in Los Angeles and my family was out there and we just had a barbecue at my agent’s house,” he said. “I kicked back and relaxed a bit and played some beach volleyball. It was just a relaxing day to spend with friends and family.” Well, what did he get? “I got an iPod. It was cool,” he said. “I don’t know how I am going to work it because I am not much good with computers.” Nevertheless, it was useful gift for an avid music fan. Crosby says he likes country and rock music the most and points to Tim McGraw as his favorite singer. “I like pretty much everything, though,” he said. Crosby enjoys watching movies as well. “Wedding Crashers was hysterical,” he said. “I liked Ladder 49, too, but that is a more serious one.”
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NHL Future Appears Rosy
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 07:56 AM ET
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from the Globe and Mail,
Reality for the NHL will set in this week, when training camps open in 30 cities across North America. Judging by the excitement generated by the wild player movement last month, the influx of budding superstars Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin and simply the game's best suiting up again after a year-long hiatus, the NHL's future appears rosy. "I think we have to be optimistic, that's why we're back," Anaheim Mighty Ducks defenceman Scott Niedermayer said. "This time of year is all about that. "Everybody's excited about the new year, their team's chances, their own chances for a good year. I think we should probably have the same feeling towards hopefully the fans coming back.
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Dealing With Datsyuk
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 07:16 AM ET
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According to the translation by Snapshots at Mlive, Omsk is claiming "By Russian Law, Datsyuk is Ours". Not surprising to me, they are in a battle with Dynamo but I am going out on the limb and think this is business, you know CYA (cover your a**). If you recall, a few days ago, one of the chiefs from Omsk said, if we lose Datsyuk, to Detroit, it is not our fault. The latest Datsyuk is Ours is just another way of deflecting the blame of losing Datsyuk to Detroit. Just my opinion, but I have seen this before and it is a common Russian strategy. We should know something about Datsyuk's final destination sometime today. update 5:53am, via the Detroit Free Press,
Zetterberg said he had talked to his buddy throughout the summer, and he hopes Datsyuk, a centerman, will be back. Coach Mike Babcock said the same thing last week. "We need him," Zetterberg said. "He's a good player. It's new rules. It's tough to get everyone you want. Hopefully we can get him back. I think he wants to be back here."
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Preds Invite Perreault To Camp
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 07:14 AM ET
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from the Tennessean,
The Predators added yet more depth at center yesterday when veteran Yanic Perreault agreed to attend training camp on a tryout basis. Nashville won't have to pay Perreault unless he makes the regular-season roster.
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Re-launcing The Sharks
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 07:11 AM ET
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from the San Jose Business Journal,
At the San Jose Sharks' home opener on Oct. 12, miniaturized versions of the Pacific Division banner being hoisted that night will be given to fans as a reminder of the team's 2003-2004 success along with miniaturized Stanley Cup trophies to symbolize the franchise's ultimate goal. "We look at it as a relaunch," says Greg Jamison, president and chief executive officer of the San Jose Sharks. While the Sharks expect to lose money in 2005-2006 season, it will be nowhere near the $15 million annual loss club officials announced after each of the past two regular seasons, Mr. Jamison says.
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Bruins Have Leverage Dealing With Holdouts
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 07:07 AM ET
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drom the Daily News Tribune,
The odds on the Bruins will get far longer if the club does not get free agents Andrew Raycroft and Nick Boynton back into the fold. As of last night, the Group 2 free agents were unsigned and it appeared almost certain the team's No. 1 goaltender and top, young defenseman will miss the opening of camp. This, of course, is a familiar exercise. It has been a very rare fall when the B's didn't have at least one key player refusing to report unless given more money. Neither Raycroft nor Boynton are going anywhere, unless their contract negotiations reach some sort of bitter impasse and the B's feel forced to trade them. That has happened many times.
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No More Cap Guessing
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 07:00 AM ET
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from the Globe and Mail,
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA executive director Ted Saskin were asked whether salary-cap guesswork would be alleviated on their websites. "The NHLPA will continue its practice of providing player salary disclosure on NHLPA.com," Saskin said. "Given the intricacies of the new system and the desire of fans and media to have the most thorough information, we will make further enhancements to our website in the near future to include information on team upper-limit levels." "Yes, I believe there will be," Daly said. "[But it] probably will not be up and running until after the start of the regular season."
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Saskin Should Step Down
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 06:56 AM ET
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from Damine Cox fo the Toronto Star,
As a professional and political organization, the NHL Players' Association has historically struggled with the basic concepts of democracy. Now, with Ted Saskin's new leadership coming under intense fire from within, that absence of commitment to democratic processes is threatening to plunge the once-potent union into chaos. To save the union, therefore, Saskin almost certainly has to quit his job. At least for now. To a large extent, the basic nature of the union reflects the basic nature of hockey players. Most are trained to follow orders and demands of coaches and general managers, not to think individually.The Saskin situation has been big news lately in Canada, but the U.S. hockey media has barely touched on this subject. I wonder why?
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Gaborik Ready To Lead
by Paul on 09/12/05 at 06:54 AM ET
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from the Pioneer Press,
In the past two years, the Wild have jettisoned veterans such as Andrew Brunette, Richard Park, Sergei Zholtok and Antti Laaksonen to make room for untested prospects whose time has arrived. The veterans' departures have created a production and leadership vacuum that Gaborik is eager to fill. "Expectations for me as a player and a leader will be higher. I'm cool with that," he said. "I've seen a lot of things. I'm not going to be like I was two or three years ago, kind of quiet. There are a lot of young guys coming up. We need someone older who should spice it up a little."
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About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at pk@kuklaskorner.com
