Kukla's Korner

The Flow Is Back

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 09:06 PM ET | Comments (0)

from the AP via Fox Sports,

Defensemen have a choice: Let him go in alone, or hold him up and spend two minutes in the penalty box. Obstruction is gone from the new NHL, and the art of hockey is back on the ice. "Whatever they learned all their life goes straight out the window," New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur said. "You can't do the pin and hold, you can't do the old can opener, you can't do anything anymore. It's definitely hard for the D, especially if mobility is not one of your assets." The big, burly defenseman still has a role in the game, but his effectiveness has been severely compromised in this new world of free-flowing hockey. Not only can't he hold up an onrushing forward, he can't clear players out from in front of the net, either.

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Nashville Depth Will Help

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 07:54 PM ET | Comments (0)

A few days ago, Nashville Owner Craig Leipold answered a few questions from Pred fans. One of the questions was:

Q: Injuries to key personnel could be debilitating to the Predators, but not this season. Why? Is Milwaukee the secret weapon that other teams do not have? A: Easy answer: because we've drafted so well that the players in our system now are ready to move up to the Predators.

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Forsberg Back

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 07:15 PM ET | Comments (0)

from the Courier Post (Saturday edition),

The Flyers' wait for Peter Forsberg is over. On Friday, two weeks after suffering a slight tear to his right groin, the star center proclaimed himself fit to play in today's 2 p.m. game against the Minnesota Wild at the Wachovia Center. "It feels good to be back," Forsberg said after skating for about 40 minutes with goaltender Robert Esche. "It's going to be great. I missed way too many games already." Esche also was cleared after missing three games with a tear of his abductor tendon and Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said he will serve as Antero Niittymaki's backup today.

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Hamrlik Out With Sprained Knee

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 05:43 PM ET | Comments (0)

via TSN,

Calgary Flames defenceman Roman Hamrlik has a sprained MCL in his left knee and expects to be out of action for a couple of weeks. Hamrlik hurt his knee in the first period of Calgary's 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday and did not return.

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Teams Can’t Wait To Be Great

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 04:57 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Bill Fleischman at PhiladelphiaFlyers.com,

In the "new NHL," it's more difficult to wait for teams to improve. "We're into immediate self-gratification," Nashville Predators GM David Poile said. "The dollars are high and the exposure with media and the Internet (is greater). Teams can't be as patient. Boston and San Jose were both rated very high in (preseason) predictions. Maybe, unfortunately, you're going to see more big trades, not just in hockey but in all sports, because of the pressures.

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The 15th Edition Of The NHL Carnival

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 04:50 PM ET | Comments (0)

So here’s the edition for this week — with a Carnival Cruise Line-esque photo of Kathie Lee Gifford along for the ride, just for poops and giggles — which hopefully will focus on the best hockey posts of the week while not betraying our relative ignorance on the topic. We apologize in advance. Enjoy the goodness after the jump.

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The Other Calder Candidate

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 04:06 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Terry Frei of ESPN,

If one was handicapping for the Calder Trophy, the Colorado Avalanche's Marek Svatos probably would be a longer shot than, say, Luxembourg in World Cup soccer. Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are the prohibitive favorites, and Calgary's Dion Phaneuf at least is getting significant third-place mention as the best in an impressive group of first-year defensemen. And what of Svatos?

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Upset With The Thornton Trade

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 03:56 PM ET | Comments (0)

So maybe my NHL bloggers can help me out on the stats and salaries on a second line defenseman (Brad Stuart) and a second-liner (Marco Sturm) and a third-liner forward (Wayne Primeau) for an All-Star captain and a first-liner. Alright, lets have some fun. Not knowing what it is like being a GM, I fired up my Sony Playstation 2 game. I put in NHL 2006, went to the dynasty mode and became GM. I then tried to make the trade and every time I tried, I was rejected! Maybe about a half dozen times or so, I finally gave up. So then I tried to make another trade -- Jarome Iginla from the Calgary Flames for Joe Thornton and ... wa-laaa ... it accepted it. Hello McFly, what are you thinking?????

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Let The Kids Play

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 02:33 PM ET | Comments (0)

from the Messager LaSalle,

When you get involved in hockey, it can be when it's at its best, the game is only part of the package. It becomes a social outing for parents. It should never be about who is going for extra power skating but about building that kind of environment, the kind of memories kids and parents and families will have forever. Sometimes, when I stand around the arenas I can't believe the tone of the conversations I hear. The visions are so short-sighted. The conversations are almost always about today and who won and who lost and who scored.

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‘Circle’ Game for Ducks Konopka

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

12/09/05 at 02:03 PM ET | Comments (0)

from the Buffalo News,

"It's a huge day," Konopka said of his first game in Buffalo. "I've had this date circled. "I grew up watching games in the Auditorium. It was great. My favorite players were Lindy Ruff and Mike Foligno. There's a lot of good memories in Buffalo. It's a hard-working city, and I kind of feel like I'm a hard-working guy." Konopka, who will turn 25 in three weeks, came from sturdy stock. His late father, a Polish immigrant, worked at General Motors in St. Catharines, Ont., and grew fruit on his farm. "He worked 16-hour days and was the hardest-working guy I've ever known," Konopka said. "Being back here brings back good memories of my dad. But he's still watching, and I'm making him proud that I'm doing this."

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