Kukla's Korner

Retaliation

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/03/07 at 10:11 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,

Whether it’s Crosby or Koivu or New York Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr, the manner in which the game’s top players are treated is sure to become a focal point as the furious race for playoff positions intensifies.
Ranger teammate Brendan Shanahan believes Jagr isn’t getting his fair share of calls these days and said so. Loudly.
That’s one approach.
Carbonneau, meanwhile, admired Souray’s defence of Koivu even though, through the combination of power-play goals and the defenceman’s absence, it cost the Habs the game.
That’s another approach.

more

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Columbus Grows On Carter

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/03/07 at 10:05 AM ET | Comments (0)

from the Edmonton Sun,

Anson Carter could barely find a job in the weeks leading up to training camp this year, but he’ll generate a lot of interest at the deadline. Surround him with talent and he could be a valuable rent-a-player.
“I guess when you’re on a one-year deal this kind of situation comes up, but it doesn’t mean you have to like it,” said Carter, adding Columbus has really grown on him. “When you’re in a place where you’re happy you think about those rumours a little more. It’s only human nature. If people involved in rumours say they don’t think about it, they’re lying.

continued... plus more NHL bits, including what to the Blues do…

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Size Doesn’t Matter

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/03/07 at 09:56 AM ET | Comments (0)

from the Pioneer Press,

The puck skids into the corner or comes to rest along the boards, and the Wild’s Pierre-Marc Bouchard scoots after it. So does a mean-looking forward and a very large defenseman, both wearing the wrong-color jersey.
And right away we think: Well, that’s the end of Butch. It’s too bad, really, because he was a nice kid. Kind of quiet. Polite.
Bouchard is generously listed as 5 feet 10 and 162 pounds. In reality, I’ve been served sandwiches bigger than him. And every time he enters the land of the giants, the muscle guys’ realm along the boards, I figure he is a goner for sure. Sometimes I peek through my fingers, expecting to see a very small puddle where Bouchard once stood.

read on

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Florida Could Unload…

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/02/07 at 09:05 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Darren Dreger of TSN,

With trade speculation building around the NHL, the Florida Panthers are quietly flying under the radar.
There is reason to believe the Panthers are contemplating a myriad of moves that include high-profile players Olli Jokinen and Todd Bertuzzi.
No trades are imminent, but the mere fact teams are inquiring and the Panthers are listening may lead to something that qualifies under the heading of ‘‘blockbuster.’‘

continued

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Oilers Need Something Good

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/02/07 at 07:26 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

After Thursday’s loss to Vancouver ended the Oilers modest two-game winning streak, the defending Western Conference champions find themselves in fifth place in the division, 10th overall in the conference and a full six points behind the Minnesota Wild, who currently hold down the final playoff spot, through Friday morning.
The Oilers need something good to happen soon; the problem is that for a team where offence was supposed to be a given, they have had trouble finding the back of the net consistently this year. Petr Sykora was excellent in the first month, after signing as a free agent; but his totals have fallen way off of late.

more...plus a look at the Bruins and other NHL teams…

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Thumbs Up Or Down For Bettman

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/02/07 at 07:17 PM ET | Comments (0)

Allan Muir at Sports Illustrated takes a look at 14 issues Gary Bettman has faced and breaks down how he handled each one of them…

1. Expansion
The Ducks and Panthers were already approved before he came on board in 1993, but he was expected to do more than simply coordinate the addition of franchises in Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville and Minnesota—only the last of which was truly justified—and leverage those new markets into more exposure (primarily, a better TV deal) for the product in the American market. That hasn’t happened, and now we’re left with a diluted product and tenuous markets struggling to find an audience. THUMB’S DOWN

read on

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Online Don

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/02/07 at 05:53 PM ET | Comments (0)

I know everyone one of you visit every section of KK, but just in case you missed this- Canucks & Beyond discovers Cherry goes online...

CBC.ca will launch a special online version of Coach’s Corner tomorrow with new content, design and features.

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The First Star Talks

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/02/07 at 05:34 PM ET | Comments (0)

Dany Heatley took part in a NHL tele-conference today,

Q. Congratulations on a great month. I want to ask you about your depth this year. It seems like you have more depth this year as opposed to last year, and last year was ?? as far as the regular season goes, it was a better season for you. But do you have better depth overall, and can you compare this year to last year?
DANY HEATLEY: I don’t know. I think we do. I think we lost some key guys, but with that, I think some other guys have got a chance to play a little bit more and step up and do a job. You know, guys like Verme, Antoine Vermettte, Patrick Eaves, guys like that, Chris Neil, have had a chance to get more ice time, be in more situations, and have done well because of it.

Q. What about getting Jason Spezza back to add to that great depth that you’ve mentioned already?
DANY HEATLEY: Oh, it’s huge. I mean, with Kelly obviously we were going pretty good, and Spezza, Schafe and Fishy, those are two pretty good lines that can score on the ice, and the other two lines are chipping in. That’s part of the reason why we had such a big month. We’re getting scoring and big goals from a lot of people.

Continue Reading »

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Hail To The Hurricanes

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/02/07 at 05:26 PM ET | Comments (0)

from the Whitehouse,

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Have a seat. It’s a pretty big deal for a guy that doesn’t know how to ice skate—(laughter)—to welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to the White House. We appreciate you coming. You know, I’m not sure what is prettier, the Stanley Cup, or Mike Commodore’s hair. (Laughter.) A little disappointed you got a haircut. (Laughter.) But, welcome.
MR. COMMODORE: Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: The other thing I was a little surprised to see that he’s not wearing his robe. (Laughter.)
At the start of this season, this team was ranked 28th out of 30 teams. I like to be around people that keep expectations low. (Laughter.) Instead of listening to the prognosticators, this team had a 112-point season. They had 52 wins. They win the Stanley Cup. They’re here at the White House. Congratulations to you. (Applause.)

continued

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It Has Nothing To Do With Drag

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

02/02/07 at 05:22 PM ET | Comments (0)

from the Detroit News:

Pavel Datsyuk has been playing with a new Reebok stick that has an aerodynamic look, with three holes toward the bottom of the stick.
“I have more power,” he said of the stick. “Every blocked shot before, I broke my stick. Now, I can keep playing. I like the way it feels and looks.”

Continue Reading »

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