KK- How To Help Kukla’s Korner
03/05/15 at 01:16 PM ET | Comments (12)
I usually do a semi-annual post on the ways to help out KK but this time it is a little different.
I have started a GoFundMe page which allows you to donate and improve KK.
As always, if you are a current KK member and have donated in the past, a $20 donation will get you another year of limited ads when visiting Kukla's Korner.
If you wish to donate for the first time, a $25 donation will give you the same which means only limited ads will appear on KK.
I have set a very lofty goal and feel I can achieve that over time.
Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. (This post will remain sticky for a few days.)
Filed in: KK Website Business, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Prospect news: Playoffs at hand in the KHL, SHL; on Larkin/Mantha, Ouellet and Ferraro
Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik
03/06/15 at 12:36 AM ET | Comments (0)
The last weeks NCAA regular season play + Major Junior hockey teams going down the stretch + AHL and ECHL regular seasons having a little under 20 games left = the weekends are incredibly busy for both the Red Wings' prospects and those who follow them, but the week is a bit up and down. As such, this entry contains two games and three "if you missed it" stories:
First, in playoff hockey, in the KHL, Alexander Kadeikin remains sidelined with an unspecified injury, but his team, SKA St. Petersburg, is on to the second round of the KHL playoffs, having dispatched Torpedo Nizhny Novogrod 2-0 on Thursday, taking the first round playoff series 4 games to 1;
In the SHL, Axel Holmstrom took 2 shots and won 40% of his faceoffs in 14:20 of ice time as his team, Skelleftea AIK, defeated HV71 3-0, yielding a 1st-place finish for Skellefeta in the SHL.
The SHL playoffs are a little strange as they're going to have to wait and find out which team is the lowest of the 7-to-10th place-team group to qualify for playoff play-in hockey via one-off Wild Card games; the 11th and 12th teams in the league have to play for their SHL lives against the winners of the Allsvenskan (the Swedish version of the AHL) in relegation play;
Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
Alfredsson receives key to the City of Ottawa, discusses his post-hockey career plans
Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik
03/06/15 at 12:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
This is one of those, "Line 'em up and sell papers/prepare for the clicks to flow" stories, which is fine in Ottawa, but it's enlightening in Southeastern Michigan for a different reason: earlier this evening, Daniel Alfredsson received the key to the city of Ottawa, and the day yielded a very perhaps properly rare glimpse into the post-hockey life of Birmingham, MI's most unassuming resident.
On Thursday morning, Alfredsson told the CBC Ottawa that he's just enjoying helping his four sons in school and coaching his oldest boys' Little Caesars team, and he reiterated said story to the Ottawa Citizen's Ken Warren...
"This is not going to sell a lot of papers, but it has been drastically different than being an NHL player, but it has been fun,” Alfredsson said, with a laugh, Thursday as he was back in Ottawa to receive the key to the city.
(So yes, I peeked ahead and decided to be cheeky. It will sell papers.)
Alfredsson says he is humbled and proud of the honour, which he believes is as much about lending his voice to discussions about mental illness and for his charity work as it is about his abilities as a hockey player. The off-ice contributions also made him feel more in tune with the community.
“I understand the recognition I get in this city,” he said. “I’m very proud to be getting that recognition. It’s something I want to share with everyone.”
Alfredsson told Warren that he's at peace with his playing career being over...
Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
What’s Lacking In The NHL?
03/05/15 at 07:09 PM ET | Comments (12)
from Rock Westfall of GetMoreSports,
The American masses continue to reject a self-described, “Three-two shutdown league” as evidenced by last Saturday night’s abysmal prime time failure on NBC. A reasonably attractive matchup of the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers produced an entertaining game that was worth watching and won by the Flyers 4-2. Yet the game could muster nothing more than a 1.0 national rating.
There have been too many times in the past that American’s have clicked on boring 1-0 and 2-1 games that have turned them off from giving the NHL another chance. On far too many nights, guys watching basketball games see 1-0 third period NHL scores on the bottom crawl, giving them little reason to flip over to the NHL and give the game a chance.
The problem remains the real men of genius on the NHL competition committee that continue to tailor rules to cover each other’s rear ends and team needs, rather than open the game up. The game continues to be the stranglehold of shutdown clod general managers and head coaches that eternally plot its suffocation with insufferable misery.
Filed in: NHL Teams, NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Video- Nothing To Do Tonight?
Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul
03/05/15 at 06:50 PM ET | Comments (0)
Check out the extended highlights from the Wings/Rangers game last night.
Compiled by awood40...
Also, it is that time of year to help out KK, I appreciate anything you can give. Thanks.
Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
Video- Jordyn Leopold Thrilled Her Father Is Home
03/05/15 at 06:29 PM ET | Comments (2)
via Scott Lewis of Sportsnet,
The Minnesota Wild’s deadline acquisition of defenceman Jordan Leopold was hardly a blockbuster trade, but it wound up being one of the day’s biggest stories.
A letter written by Leopold’s daughter Jordyn back in January, asking the Wild to bring her father home to Minnesota, went viral on deadline day.
Jordyn spoke about the letter and the impact it made on social media Thursday.
Take note, NHL fathers. Your shot at landing on your hometown team rests on your children’s ability to pen adorable letters.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: jordan+leopold
Does the Wings’ consistent ‘structure’ begin in the front office? I certainly believe so…
Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik
03/05/15 at 06:04 PM ET | Comments (6)
Amidst and among all the praise for the Red Wings' trade deadline moves, both the Oakland Press's Pat Caputo, the Detroit Free Press's Evil Drew Sharp and Fox Sports Detroit's Keith Gave have penned "Spirit of the Thing" columns discussing the Red Wings' playoff-readiness, and this evening's article from Gave offers an intriguing take as to why the Wings are en route to their 24th consecutive playoff appearance from Ken Holland.
Holland tells Gave that managerial consistency is one of the biggest keys to the team's on and off-ice success:
"Consistency has a lot to do with it," Holland said, noting that the first hire Mike and Marian Ilitch made when they bought the team in 1982 was Devellano -- who remains with the team as senior vice president.
Among Devellano's first wave of hires was a journeyman goalie drafted in the 12th round (188th overall) in 1975, but Ken Holland would never make it to the NHL. He was wrapping up his playing career in Detroit's farm system when Devellano offered him a scouting gig, and he wore out cars covering junior hockey in Western Canada. That was in 1985 -- 30 years ago.
When Neil Smith, then Devellano's assistant in Detroit, left in 1989 to run the New York Rangers, Holland was elevated to assistant GM. Smith stole Detroit's top European scout, Christer Rockstrom, and the Wings replace him with Hakan Andersson, who remains with the club.
"Hakan's been with us 25 years. (Goaltending coach) Jim Bedard is in his 17th year with us. Jim Nill was with us almost 20 years. Babs (coach Mike Babcock) is in his 10th year with us," Holland says, rattling off names of others who deserve much credit for the organization's remarkable run that seems to truly baffle -- and impress -- others around the NHL.
Gave continues, quoting Mike Milbury and TSN's Jonas Siegel regarding the Wings' status as a model franchise.
As someone who's been able to witness the management group at work, I can sure as heck tell you that the fact that the Wings work as a team from the ownership on down to management and the players is indeed the reason that the "prospect pipeline" has become so incredibly reliable, if not self-sustaining.
Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
Jimmy Howard discusses his OT win, health and more on Detroit Sports 105.1 FM
Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik
03/05/15 at 05:30 PM ET | Comments (0)
Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard appeared on Detroit Sports 105.1 FM's Matt Dery show today, and he discussed the state of his groin, last night's win against the Rangers, the social media "bubble" he lives in and his status among the NHL's best goalies (and he is not devoid of self-confidence). The full interview's available after the jump:
Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
Short Hockey Notes
03/05/15 at 04:49 PM ET | Comments (0)
from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal,
- When Devan Dubnyk was looking for work last summer after his nightmare 2013-14 season, two teams wanted the former Edmonton Oilers goalie: the Coyotes and the Kings. The Coyotes had a guaranteed NHL backup job and Dubnyk maybe would have had to start in the AHL with Martin Jones as Quick’s backup unless they moved Jones.
- George McPhee was a fine GM with the Washington Capitals, but how good do you think Filip Forsberg would look on right-wing with Nick Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin? The Caps have had a dozen guys auditioning with Ovie and Backstrom. Forsberg could get 65 points as a rookie, but I’m still not sure I wouldn’t vote for Florida’s outstanding defenceman Aaron Ekblad for the Calder. He turned 19 a month ago.
- If Dustin Byfuglien, who appeared to hurt his shoulder against Ottawa Wednesday, is out any longer than a couple of weeks, the Winnipeg Jets could be in trouble. “He’s the most unique player in the whole league ... there’s nobody else who can go back and forth from forward to defence. Unbelievable he can skate like that, being that size (around 260),” said a Western Conference management-type. This is the best Big Buff has looked since the first Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup win in 2010.
Filed in: NHL Teams, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Not A Fan Of Tanking
03/05/15 at 04:44 PM ET | Comments (2)
from Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal,
My favourite sport of all is hockey, so it pains me to say the National Hockey League has tested this ideal in more ways than one. I have railed against the Bettman Point system since it was first announced, on the grounds that it changes the balance between risk and reward and fosters an environment where a particular outcome, a regulation tie, is often in the interests of both teams. A team that wins in overtime or the shootout gets rewarded exactly the same as if they had won in regulation, whereas the loser of that mini-game gets rewarded for their regulation tie. Put another way, a regulation win has been devalued. The very predictable result is that while tie results are no longer possible, there are more tie games than ever before. These days some 25% of all games remain unresolved after 60 minutes, far higher than historical rates when the team that failed to win in regulation forfeited one point while securing one.
Grating as that issue remains, it pales in comparison to a situation where two teams begin a game with opposite objectives: one wants to win, while the other is better served to lose, in regulation if possible. Such is the result of a draft lottery system that rewards teams that miss the playoffs in inverse order of their finish. Worse is better, assuring higher odds of winning the lottery while guaranteeing that a team can only drop one spot from their finish.
Such a system rewards tanking. It’s a concern every year of course, but in 2015 with a high-end draft class that includes “generational” talents in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, it has reached epidemic proportions, the worst I can recall since 1984 when Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils engaged in an epic tank battle with the reward being one Mario Lemieux.
Filed in: NHL Teams, | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Most Recent Posts
KK Hockey
KK- How To Help Kukla’s Korner
Video- Jordyn Leopold Thrilled Her Father Is Home
The Boston Bruins Are Moving In The Right Direction
Kimmo Timonen Will Retire At The End Of The Season
Fatherly Advice For Jeff Petry
The Malik Report
Prospect news: Playoffs at hand in the KHL, SHL; on Larkin/Mantha, Ouellet and Ferraro
Alfredsson receives key to the City of Ottawa, discusses his post-hockey career plans
Abel to Yzerman
The Puck Stops Here
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Oil Patch
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