Kukla's Korner

Colton Orr Proclaims Himself As The Winner

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/07/10 at 11:13 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,

When Matt Carkner saw Colton Orr flash triple fingers to the Scotiabank crowd, he knew his Maple Leafs pugilist partner wasn’t signifying three wins for Toronto over the Senators in the Battle of Ontario.

Orr was trying to claim the victory in the third of four fights in as many games between them, though Carkner took exception to the signal as showboating.

“He was probably celebrating because he had three shifts in the game or something,” Carkner retorted.

continued and watch the fight below…

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: colton+orr, matt+carkner

No Stability For Flyers Goaltender

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/07/10 at 11:09 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star,

Flyers goalie Michael Leighton is the only starter in the NHL who still lives out of a hotel.

The 28-year-old native of Sarnia holds that title because he landed the No. 1 spot less than two months ago, despite a seven-year career.

Before being known for hotel home, he was mostly known for being placed on waivers.

To date, Leighton has been waived four times, once after playing only 20 minutes in Nashville. He’s also been traded twice and signed as a free agent once, with Anaheim. Now, after more than two months with the Flyers, Leighton may be able to stop counting.

Despite being a lock for the Flyers job, Leighton knows how fleeting the position can be at times.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Philadelphia Flyers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: michael+leighton

Crosby Says No To Letterman

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/07/10 at 10:53 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

Maybe Sidney Crosby is a fan of Jay’s or maybe he was upset at not being invited to Dave’s Super Bowl bash with Oprah, but folks around the NHL sure would be interested in learning even one of No. 87’s reasons for rejecting David Letterman’s invitation to host his Top Ten while the Golden Boy was in New York this week.

Upon learning of the snub, Slap Shots was told that this wasn’t the first time Crosby, who last year declined to appear on NBC’s “Today” show following Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup victory, had rejected a request from Letterman’s “Late Show.”

continued plus additional topics…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: david+letterman, sidney+crosby, team+canada

Canada vs. The Red Army Was The Greatest Hockey Game

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/07/10 at 02:14 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Jerry Green at the Detroit News,

So it was that Roenick, employed by NBC as hired mouth, who stated before last Sunday’s Canada-USA gold medal final: “This is the most important hockey game in history.”

He said it twice, to millions of viewers in the USA—a huge percentage watching a hockey game for the first time in their lives.

It was one of those frequent moments when I wanted to throw a brick through my television screen.

Jeremy Roenick was 2 years old in 1972, probably learning to skate on double runners. He did not have the privilege—the honor—of witnessing the most important hockey game in history.

This one was not for an Olympic gold medal. Rather it was a battle between diverse ways of life.

It was Democracy vs. Communism. During the heat of the Cold War.

Our guys against theirs in a battle of symbols….

In Michigan it was getting toward twilight. The TV flickered—and I sat in my family room transfixed. The Canadian telecast flowed across the border, over Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River.

And somehow, the boisterous cheering became international—reverberating across Lake St. Clair.

more

Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

The Nice Guys In The NHL Today

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/07/10 at 01:44 AM ET | Comments (0)

Stan Fischler picks his top 5 nice guys.

Filed in: NHL Teams, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Iginla Needs Help

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/07/10 at 01:40 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun,

Jarome Iginla has spent years carrying the Calgary Flames.

He can’t do it any more.

Not by himself.

Iginla still must remain a star player for the club while its flickering playoff hopes remain alive, but it’s become obvious he needs the supporting cast more than ever in order for the Flames to win on a regular basis.

As much as fans may want to believe the captain remains the same player who was so instrumental in the thrilling journey to the Stanley Cup final of 2004 and a trip to the playoffs every season after, Iginla can no longer be that player every night.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Calgary Flames, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: jarome+iginla

HNIC Hotstove Talk

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/07/10 at 01:37 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Mihira Lakshman of CBC,

The Hotstove segment began with an archived clip of Bettman, just prior to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, saying it doesn’t matter who plays in the gold-medal game — and that the result would have no bearing on future participation in the Games.

The Canada-U.S. matchup this year was a ratings bonanza for U.S. television. Last Sunday’s gold-medal matchup in Vancouver drew record audiences on both sides of the border and was the most-watched hockey game in the U.S. since 1980.

But the NHL is having trouble capitalizing on all the positive marketing scenarios. For example, the IOC rules didn’t allow enough time to adequately promote the players on each team, Healy said.

Broadcast restrictions are another major issue.

“I’d like to see the Crosby goal [again]. But there are so many regulations about showing that goal. The NHL can’t even bring [Crosby] into New York and show the goal while they do an interview with him. The IOC [is] not about fairness, and it’s time for them to buck up.”

more

Filed in: NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: 2014+winter+olympics

Ponikarovsky, Leopold will make Penguins even tougher team to beat

Blog: The Confluence By Tony

03/07/10 at 12:59 AM ET | Comments (0)

The Penguins’ two acquisitions at the trade deadline didn’t make big headlines around the NHL, especially compared to the Hossa deal of two seasons ago.  Two good, but not great players at forward and defense.

Some would argue they didn’t need too much help to begin with.  I’m not one of those people, but some would.

But with Alexei Ponikarovsky and Jordan Leopold now in the Penguins’ fold, it makes an already-strong group that much stronger, and that’s not good news for the rest of the NHL.

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Filed in: , | The Confluence | Permalink
  Tags: nhl-hockey, pittsburgh+penguins

How Will The NHL Deal With Head Shots?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/07/10 at 12:35 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Jeff Z. Klein and Stu Hackel of Slap Shot at the NY Times,

When N.H.L. general managers convene for their annual three-day meeting Monday in Boca Raton, Fla., one item on the agenda will occupy most of their time: what, if anything, to do about hits to the head.
The general managers will see several presentations, one the result of two years of independent medical study, as they seek to make policy recommendations to the league on the controversial issue….

Concussions are a continuing problem in the N.H.L. But league executives have said they do not want to diminish physical play by passing rules that discourage players from risking accidental contact with an opponent’s head.

“The question really is, when a shoulder makes contact with the head, is that going to be termed illegal — because right now, it’s legal,” said Colin Campbell, the N.H.L. vice president for hockey operations, in confirming details of the Boca Raton meeting. “What do we do? Is there any way we can arrest the problem and reduce concussions?”

read on

Filed in: NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Inside Hockey With Brian Burke

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/07/10 at 12:24 AM ET | Comments (0)

Elliotte Friedman of HNIC interviews Brian Burke and discusses both Team USA and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: brian+burke, team+usa

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