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02.25.05
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Josh
Olson was traded to the Hershey Bears from the San Antonio
Rampage on Friday.
Matt
Hendricks was promoted from the Florida Everblades of
the ECHL to Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL. He
scored a powerplay goal on Friday night but the Springfield
Falcons.
With
two days left in the auction of AHL All Star warm-up
jersey's Buffalo's Dustin Brown's sweater had garnered
the highest bid of $1,400. Brandon Bochenski's
jersey had a high bid of $ 626 and Zach Parise's sweater
was going for $751. Keith Ballard had 26 bids
and was listed at $297.95.
Parise
was rated one of the top-10 prospects by The Hockey
News in their "Future Watch" edition.
Ken
Gernander remains out of the lineup for the Hartford
Wolf Pack.
Troy
Riddle returned to the lineup for the Worcester IceCats a
week ago after missing several games with a rib/oblique
injury. He has three points since his return.
Matt
Koalska missed four games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers
with a leg injury but scored a powerplay goal in his
first game back, his second goal of the season. Assistant
Captain Ryan Kraft will miss the remainder of the season
for the Tigers after having surgery to repair and injured
ankle.
Casey
Hankinson scored an assist on the game winning goal
as the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks topped the
Houston Aeros 3-2 on Friday. Hankinson and his
wife Holli are expecting their first child any day now.
Jason
Notermann, playing for the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, is
second in the ECHL in power-play goals with 12.
Teammate Dan Peters leads the Bullies defense with 11
points (4g-7a) and a +6 rating through 22 road games.
Chris Kenady is second in the ECHL in goals scored with
27 for the Long Beach Ice Dogs. 7 of those goals
were game winners.
Matt
Ulwelling has two game-winning goals in his last three
games for the Columbia Inferno.
David
Lundbohm got his first professional hat trick in his
Florida Everblades' 8-0 win at Texas on Friday.
NHL
Agents will meet with NHLPA officials this week regarding
the cancellation of the NHL season.
Mark
Hartigan is still bitter that he lost to Jordan Leopold
for the Hobey Baker award. In a recent profile
on theahl.com Hartigan said "it was kind of weird
that I beat him out for WCHA Player of the Year, but
I couldnt take the Hobey. Minnesota won it all
that year and I think that contributes to the voting,"
said Hartigan, who obviously forgot that voting for
the award was completed before the National tournament.
Hartigan also expressed bitterness about being released
from Atlanta because Bob Hartley, the new coach, didn't
like him. Hartigan reportedly was released not
for his playing but his off-ice problems that included
missing practices and an arrest for assaulting a bouncer
at a Minneapolis bar. He now plays with former
Husky teammates Joe Motzko and Duvie Westc ott with
the Syracuse Crunch, the farm team of the Columbus Blue
Jackets.
Quick Quotes:
"I am
extremely frustrated that the NHL season was canceled.
As an agent, we only get paid when our NHL clients get
paid. So no season means no revenue from NHL players.
We will aggressively pursue European options for
our NHL clients to ensure job security if there
is no NHL in 2005-06. We will continue to serve our
AHL and European clients as usual."
- NHL Agent Ben Hankinson
after Gary Bettman's announcement on Wednesday.
It
was an exciting season. I really didnt
know I broke that many records until after the year
was over and people were telling me about it.
- Mark Hartigan on his
record-breaking year with the St. Cloud State Huskies
in 2001 when he scored 37 goals and 38 assists in 42
games He set marks that season for goals
in a period (4), most goals in a season (37), most assists
in a season (t-38), most points in a season (75), most
short-handed goals in a season (6) along with setting
the record for career goals with 86. (theahl.com)
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02.18.05
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Click
here for Exclusives 02.22
Phil Kessel likely to pass on University of Minnesota
Gopher Great Brian Bonin Retires
Former
Wild forward Jeremy Stevenson has been suspended 5 games
by the ECHL. He was asessed a match penalty for
intent to injure on February 13th in a game that pitted
his South Carolina Stingrays against the Mississippi
Sea Wolves. Stevenson has scored 12 points in
18 games for the South Carolina Stingrays this season
and the team is 16-2 with him in the lineup.
Former
Badger goalie Kirk Daubenspeck has impressed in the
AHL since his recall from the South Carolina StingRays
of the ECHL. In three starts with the Pirates,
Daubenspeck is 3-0-0 with a 0.59 goals against average
and a .980 save percentage. He recorded back-to-back
shutouts in his first two starts. (Courier & Post)
Adam
Berkhoel made 28 saves to post his first professional
shutout as the Gwinnett Gladiators beat the Florida
Everblades 3-0 on Tuesday night.
Keith
Ballard capped a 10-game road trip with an appearance
in the AHL All Star Game. He flew to Manchester
with former Gopher Todd Richards, now an assistant coach
with the Milwaukee Admirals. Richards was the
assistant coach for the AHL Canadian All Star Team.
Ballard participated in the Skills Competition on Sunday.
In the Rapid Fire competition, he scored on three two
out of five shots against Jason LaBarbara. He
also scored in the Breakaway Relay again against LaBarbara.
In the All Star Game on Monday Ballard unfortunately
tipped a puck into his own net giving the Canadians
their first goal of the game. The Canadians scored
four unanswered goals until PlanetUSA rallied.
Brandon Bochenski scored late in the third period to
close the score to 3-4 and Wild prospect Mikko Koivu
tied the game in the third period. Ballard finished
the game -2. Zach Parise earned an assist for
PlanetUS A. Former Wild defenseman Travis Roche, now
with the Chicago Wolves, played for the Canadian All
Stars and finished -1.
Former
Gopher defenseman Travis Richards has missed several
games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, for whom he is
an assistant captain. Richards is suffering severe
back problems and may not be able to play in his home
state when the Griffins face off against Wild affiliate
Houston Aeros at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul March
7th.
Matt
Koalska remains day-to-day for the Bridgeport Sound
Tigers after injury his leg/knee just before the All
Star break.
While
Thomas Vanek failed in his attempt to help Austria secure
a berth to the 2006 Olympics the Latvian National team
did win their pool and will compete in Turin in a year.
It is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Sergei Zholtok,
who would have been on that team had he survived.
Look for the Latvian team to honor Zholtok at the World
Championships this spring.
Dwayne
Roloson is returning to Finland to finish out his contract.
His team would not release him from the terms of his
deal but Roloson only has to complete the 11-game schedule
before returning home.
Wild
defenseman Andrei Zyuzin has signed to play with Severstal
Cherepovets in Russia for the remainder of the
season.
Former
Wild goaltender Jamie McLennan has signed to play in
Great Britain with the Guilfdord Flames.
Quick Quotes:
"He's
been a big part of our success. Honestly, he's been
a huge part of it. His work ethic in practice
is what really impresses me. He does all the little
things during practice and during a game that help a
team win. When he goes into the corner it's his puck.
I bet 95 percent of the time, when the puck goes into
the corners or is along the boards he wins the puck.
You don't play more than 150 games in the NHL without
being able to do that well. He is starting to score,
too. I didn't expect him to come in here and score a
ton of goals, but he's starting to find his scoring
touch"
- South Carolina StingRays
head coach Jason Fitzsimmons on former Wild forward
Jeremy Stevenson. (Post & Courier)
"What's
been so confusing to me is how (the owners) state that
they can't trust one another. If they can't, why should
we trust them?"
- Brendan Morrison on
the NHL owners demand for a salary cap because they
exercise fiscal restraint with salaries. (Vancouver
Province).
"The
notion that the NHL can solve its problems with a salary
cap is ludicrous. It will increase profits for the best
teams, but it doesn't make the small-market teams viable.
The disparity of revenues across the league is greater
than in any other sport and there's no salary solution
to that problem. Some teams have 25 times (the local
TV revenue) of other teams. The only solution is to
get rid of the small-market teams or subsidize them.
Even if salaries were zero dollars per year, I question
if some small-market teams would have enough revenue
to cover costs. Blowing up the league is the likely
outcome because the big-market teams don't see revenue
sharing as being in their best interest,"
- Roger Noll, an
economics professor at Stanford University who studies
sports business issues on the NHL lockout. (CP)
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02.16.05
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Exclusive
- Paul Martin
responds to NHL cancellation
 At
12:00 central time today Commissioner Gary Bettman announced
the official cancellation of the 2004-2005 National
Hockey League season. Quick Facts spoke with New
Jersey Devils forward and former Gopher All-American
defenseman Paul Martin about the announcement.
"I'm bummed and confused," said Martin.
Martin spent the weekend celebrating old times with
his former Gopher teammates who were home for the AHL
All Star break. "As soon as (my agent) Ben
(Hankinson) called Tuesday and said 'start packing'
I was a bit worried about how I would feel."
"But I went on the Source (the NHLPA website
for players) last night and saw both proposals and letters
from Gary (Bettman) and Bob (Goodenow), I didn't think
there would be a deal," said a disappointed Martin.
"I don't know what to think," he said.
"All of a sudden we accept a cap. . . a lot
of the players were upset we were negotiating a cap."
Paul said he really doesn't know what he is going
to do now. He still skates three times a week
with other locked out players in the Twin Cities and
said he still expects to continue doing so, including
a scheduled skate at Blake School tonight.
Martin played several games in Fribourg Switzerland
this winter but returned home in the hope that the season
would resume and is not expected to sign another
contract overseas to join other NHL players in
exodus to Europe.
He is, however, looking forward to representing
USA Hockey at the IIHF World Championships in Austria
this spring, "something to break things up, some
fun playing again."
The Elk River native surprised some by playing in the
National Hockey League the entire season as a rookie
last year. However, his contract with the Devils
was only for a term of two years, meaning he will need
to renegotiate a new deal before he can play in the
NHL again. Something that becomes more complicated
without a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and without
a second season on which to base his performance.
"For me I was lucky, it was only one year, but
I got to play in the World Cup too, so I had
something. Others guys don't have that."
Confused was how Martin described his response to today's
announcement and his current feelings on the cancellation
of the NHL season. "I don't know what is
going to happen now," he said.
02.13.05
The
professional Gopher carnage continues this season:
After missing more than a month of his rookie
year with a fractured foot Bridgeport Sound Tigers center
Matt Koalska suffered a hyperextended knee on Friday
and left the game in the third period against the Hershey
Bears. The extent of the injury is unknown but
the All Star break, which begins Sunday, will allow
Koalska more time to heal.
Troy Riddle also remains out of the Worcester
IceCats lineup with a rib/oblique injury and is listed
as day-today.
Grant Potulny is home in the Twin Cities for
the All Star break and is recovering from sports hernia
surgery. He has been off the active roster for
the Binghamton Senators since the start of 2005.
Travis Richards, Grand Rapids Griffin with the
longest tenure, remains out with an ankle injury.
* Ken Gernander remains out for the Hartford Wolf Pack
with a rib injury.
Both John Pohl and Jeff Taffe are expected to
miss the remainder of the season after both underwent
surgery, Pohl for an injured thumb, Taffe for facial
reconstruction for fractured orbital/cheek bones.
Alexander
Daigle of the Minnesota Wild has signed with Forward
Morges in the Swiss NLA.
Madison's
Joe Frederick was waived by the Las Vegas Wranglers
of the ECHL.
Long
Beach IceDogs forward Chris Kenady is tied for third
in the ECHL in goals scored with 22.
Jake
Taylor recently went down to the ECHL for a brief cup
of coffee and was recalled to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
He was assisgned to Charlotte on the 7th and recalled
on the 10th.
Erik
Westrum has scored 10 goals for the Utah Grizzlies this
season that's tied for tops on the team. Two of
those goals have been shorthanded tallies.
Bryce
Lampman returned to the lineup for the Hartford Wolf
Pack after missing a week due to injury.
Thomas
Vanek was held scoreless in the Austrian's 4-0 victory
against Khazakstan on Friday but was named Austria's
player of the game in their 1-1 tie against France and
NHL goaltender Cristobel Huet Friday. Vanek scored
on a 4-on-3 powerplay. Wolf Pack defenseman Thomas
Pock found Vanek with a cross-ice pass and Vanek chipped
it in to tie the game. Austria outshot France
33-16. With a win the Austrians would have
secured a berth to the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
As it is Vanek and the Austrians need a least a tie
when they face the Ukraine Sunday.
Sebastien
Bordeleau, who played for the Wild in 2001, welcomed
newborn daughter Jade on Tuesday and arrived in Austria
for the Olympic qualifying tournament Thursday.
Bordeleau has been playing in Switzerland for league
champion SC Bern and is competing with Team France.
Darby
Hendrickson wore an NHLPA fleece vest during his appearance
on Kent Hrbek Outdoors, perhaps a subtle hint of the
NHL labor dispute. Hendrickson took a three-day
flying fishing trip to Canada with his fellow Minnesota
native Hrbek, for the show.
Former
North Star Richard Matvichuk who spends his summers
at his lake home in Northern Minnesota has signed to
play with Slovan Bratislava.
Paul
Martin was originally scheduled to participate in the
Wild sponsored Pond Hockey tournament on Lake Phalen
but the event was rescheduled to this weekend due
to weather. Martin previously commited with former
teammate Jordan Leopold to participate in the Minnesota
Vikings' Arctic Blast snowmobile event for the same
weekend.
Quick
Facts predicted last year that once it was realized
that there would not be an NHL season this year more
NHL players would sign in the UHL and ECHL once jobs
in Europe were taken. The trio of Red Wings, former
Derian Hatcher, Chris Chelios and Kris Draper all have
signed with the Motor City Mechanics of the UHL and
were joined later by Bryan Smolinski and Sean Avery.
Quick Facts Exclusive:
When
Keith Ballard participates in the AHL All Star Classic
February 13th & 14th in Manchester New Hampshire
he will do so coming off a 10-day road trip with the
Utah Grizzlies.
Ballard was told of his All Star nod by his coach at
the morning skate on Friday. "I couldn't belive
it," he said. Though excited and honored
Ballard did admit he did have other plans. "I
was kind of looking forward to a break," he said.
Teammate and friend Barry Tallackson was thrilled to
see his former teammates be honored, despite the fact
they left the program before the end of their eligibility.
"Its a very big accomplishment for them.
They're always going to be Gophers and were always going
to be a family. and to see them do well is something
to be proud of. "
When asked if he had any regrets they weren't with the
team this year Tallackson said, "They're
having a great career where they are. We would
love to have them here, they were the top two player
si nthe year last year, it would be nice to hae them
back no doubt, but we're very proud of them and what
they're doing now. They're going to have very
long careers."
Ballard will head straight to Manchester following his
game at Bradley Center against Milwaukee on Saturday
the 12th. He believes that he will likely participate
in the accuracy shooting and/or perhaps the breakaway
relay in the Skills Competition, shying away from the
hardest shot contest because of the required stick.
Before learning that he wouldn't be playing in the All
Star game, Ballard was looking forward to the chance
to play with former teammate Thomas Vanek on the PlanetWorld
Stars team. "It will be fun to play with
Thomas again," said Ballard.
When asked his thoughts on his former players being
named to the AHL All Star team in their rookie year
Gophers head coach Don Lucia said, "they'd look
good in our lineup wouldn't they?" I just wish
they were WCHA All Stars, instead of American League
All Stars, this year."
"(Keith) wouldn't be a -22 for us" Lucia added.
Ballard will stop by the Twin Cities for a brief visit
following the All Star showcase before heading back
to join the Grizzlies for a game later in the week.
Quick Quotes:
"He's
a relentless worker; he's tireless, He's a good
all-around team guy, and his attitude is always great.
You can't always measure these things in statistics."
- Philadelphia Phantoms
Head Coach John Stevens on Edina's Ben Stafford. (Philadelphia
Inquirer)
"What's
been so confusing to me is how (the owners) state that
they can't trust one another. If they can't, why should
we trust them?"
- Brendan Morrison on
the NHL owners demand for a salary cap because they
exercise fiscal restraint with salaries. (Vancouver
Province).
We
were very disappointed last year when we were relegated
from the top pool of the world championship in Czech
Republic. Now we have a chance to do something good
here. It has been a crazy last couple of days. But my
wife and the kid are okay and we won, what more can
you ask for?
- Former Wild forward
Sebastien Bordeleau on paying for Team France in the
Olympic qualifying tournament. (IIHF.com)
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02.01.05
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Exclusive:
Quick Facts has learned that highly touted defensive
prospect Jamie McBain has committed to the University
of Wisconsin Badgers. That moves defensemen
Tyson Dowzak, David Fischer and Trent Palm up
the list of possible Gopher defensive recruits to join
Kyle Okposo, Mike Carman, Erik Johnson and Peter Mueller
in the University of Minnesota Men's Hockey freshman
class of 2006.
The
wagering between players participating in this weekend's
charity games in Duluth and Coleraine reportedly was
escalating by day before the games on Saturday and Sunday.
Paul Martin, Jordan Leopold, Andrew Brunette were amongst
those playing against Philip Kuba, Mark Parrish and
Chris McAlpine. The 'friendly' stakes were raised,
as were the incidents of trash talking, prior to the
weekend battles. While the games were a vehicle
to raise funds for the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association
and the Coleraine/Greenway Association, the players
ensured that golf games, cash and other incentives upped
the ante to contribute to increased competition between
the players and more exciting hockey for those that
purchased tickets to the events. The games were
a nice opportunity for the locked out NHL skaters to
play for something, anything, rather than just continuing
to skate on their own or in group practice or scrimmage
situations.
The
Great Lakes Classic Pond Hockey tournament was held
this weekend in Superior, Minn. The tournament featured
teams skating 4-on-4 without a goalie on a rink
slightly smaller than regulation and with a goal six
feet long by 10 inches high with games were
divided into two 15 minute halves and no checking was
allowed. Tournament officials turned teams away
after the field reached capacity last week. The
tournament champion qualifies for the 2006 World Pond
Hockey Championships in Plaster Rock. (some info from
DuluthNews)
Troy
Riddle returned to the Worcester Ice Cats lineup Friday
night after missing a few games with a rib injury.
He scored a goal and assist as the Cats beat the Lowell
LockMonsters but reportedly reaggravated the rib injury
and missed Saturday's game.
Troy
Riddle is out of the Worcester IceCats game with a rib
injury. He isn't expected to be out long.
Adam
Hauser may have been snubbed for an All Star nod - the
game is being held on his Monarchs' home ice in Manchester
- but he's still playing like an All Star. Friday
night Hauser held the Portland Pirates to one goal,
stopping 22 shots as the Monarchs got the 4-1 victory.
Bryce
Lampman had a goal and Jake Taylor added an assist as
the Hartford Wolf Pack topped the Hershey Bears 6-1
Saturday night. Taylor was +3 in the game.
Unfortunately Ken Gernander suffered a concussion during
the game and is out of the lineup.
Going
into the weekend the Bridgeport Sound Tigers were
ranked 27th in scoring in the AHL, only the Utah Grizzlies
were more snakebitten for scoring. They
certainly found their scoring touch this weekend.
The Tigers fell to the Providence Bruins Friday despite
scoring 5 goals, losing to Boston's affiliate 7-5. Bridgeport
beat the Philadelphia Phantoms 2-1 Saturday night. They
Tigers went down 3 goals to the Hartford Wolf Pack
on Sunday in front of a record crowd at Harbor Yard
Arena but finally found their scoring touch, thanks
in part to good specialty team play against the league's
best penalty kill. Bridgeport came back to
win the game 6-4 in a game that took more than three
hours to play. Following the game fomer members
of the New York Islanders put on a charity exhibition
game in front of the more than 8,000 fans who also had
an opportunity to have pictures taken with the Stanley
Cup which also w as in attendance. It was the
largest crowd ever to see a hockey game at Harbor Yard
Arena.
Former
UW goaltender Kirk Daubenspeck was recalled from the
ECHL to play for the Portland Pirates last week.
Sunday he got the chance to play and backstopped Washington
Capitals' affiliate to a 5-0 shutout over the Worcester
IceCats. The IceCats have never won a game the
former Badger has played against them.
Ben
Stafford scored two goals and BJ Abel added a third
as the Philadelphia Phantoms topped the Hartford Wolf
Pack 5-1 Friday night.
Thomas
Vanek had an assist as the Rochester Americans shut
out the Binghamton Senators 5-0 Friday night.
Vanek also earned an assist on the game-winner for the
Amerks Saturday night as they beat the Hamilton Bulldogs
3-2. The weekend victories helped the Americans
to a share of the league lead with the Manchester Monarchs.
The
Utah Grizzlies edged the Manitoba Moose in a shootout
Friday night 3-2. Keith Ballard, the sole Grizzly
named to the PlanetWorld All Star team had an assist
in regulation and Erik Westrum had a goal giving Utah
a 2-1 lead but Manitoba tied the score with less than
a minute remaining with the goaltender pulled for an
extra attacker. Westrum and Ballard both missed
in the shootout but Aaron Gavey and Fred Sjostrom scored
to give the Grizzlied the win. It was deja vu
all over again Saturday night as Utah took a 2-1 lead
into the last minute of play only to have the Moose
tie the score with the goalie pulled. Again the
game remained tied following the overtime session.
Lee Goren opened the scoring for the Moose in the shootout
but Erik Westrum scored twice giving the Grizzlies their
second victory against the Moose for the weekend, this
game won 3-2.
Brandon
Bochenski had an assist and a goal for the Binghamton
Senators Sunday, but the Syracuse Crunch came back to
win in a shootout 3-2 with Joe Motzko scoring the deciding
goal.
Josh
Olson scored a hat trick for the San Antonio Rampage
on Sunday edging Cincinnati 5-4 in a shootout Sunday
night. Olson notched the game-tying marker with
less than 30 seconds left in the game to complete the
hat trick. He also scored the game-winner in the
shootout. Andrew Canzanello had joined the Mighty
Ducks after playing in last week's ECHL All Star Game.
After captaining the ECHL All Star Game Luke Curtain
was recalled to the Rampage from the Boardwalk City
Bullies.
Despite
losing to Cincinnati Sunday, the Ducks have gone
13-4-1-1 since Dec. 18, shortly after acquiring Casey Hankinson.
The Ducks currently sit at 23-21-1-3 on the season,
good for 50 points and third place in the West Division.
Wyatt
Smith had a goal and assist as the Milwaukee Admirals
skated past the St. John's Maple Leafs Monday night
5-2. Smith has 15 goals and 34 assists for
this season, a huge improvement over last season's 16
points, but Smith also scored the Cup-winning goal for
Milwaukee in the Calder Cup finals last year.
Jay
Hardwick scored an assist on the overtime game-winner
for the Corpus Christie IceRays on Sunday as they skated
past the Austin IceBats 4-3. It was the third
assist in 40 games this season for the Warroad native.
Chris
Hartsburg, son of former North Star Craig Hartsburg
has 6 goals and 9 assists in 32 games with the Colorado
Eagles of the CHL. He is also a +4.
Nate
Metcalf has 6 goals and 14 assists, and is a +12 for
the Wichita Thunder of the CHL this year.
As
of Sunday evening Jon Francisco's ECHL All Star jersey
has a bid of $700 in an online auction benefitting charities.
Andrew Canzanello's game-worn jersey had a high bid
of $550, Curtain's sweater was at $400. Matt Hendricks'
jersey had the highest bid as of Sunday, receiving a
high bid of $1000. Bids will be accepted until
February 2nd at http://echlauction.at.edeal.com.
ECHL
San Diego Gulls center Brian Gornick has 7 goals, 3
assists in the last 10 games.
Congratulations
to Peoria Riverman assistant coach and sometime goaltender
Luke Gruden and his wife Lynzie. The couple welcomed
their first child, the six pound, 14 ounce Brady,
last Thursday. Gruden followed up the
arrival by dressing as the emergency backup for the
Rivermen over the weekend.
Reg
Berg scored four assists and the game-winning goal on
a power play, giving the Floriday Everblades the 6-5
victory over the Louisiana Ice Gators on Saturday.
Berg's goal was Florida's franchise record fifth power-play
goal of the night, and his line accounted for five of
the six goals. David Lundbohm also had a goal for the
Blades.
Mat
Snesrud was a member of the UHL All Star Team that played
in Glens Falls last weekend. He was held without
a point in the game. Snesrud has 8 goals and 26
assists in 45 games with the Missouri River Otters.
Ben
Clymer has 11 goals and 10 assists with HC Biel
Bienne in the Swiss Nationaliga B since joining the
team New Year's weekend. His season ends February
3rd.
Brett
Larson has two goals and three assists in 31 games with
the Odense Bulldogs in the Danish Elite League.
Teammate Derek Herlofsky has an assist as the goaltender
for the club.
The
Wild's Marian Gaborik has returned to Slovakia after
playing with Färjestads BK in Sweden.
Nick
Angell is the second leading scorer for the Frisk-Asker
Tigers in the Norwegian Elite League. He has 14
goals and 15 assists in 36 games and has 131 minutes
in penalties. Teammate Marc Chouinard of the Wild
has 9 goals and 5 assists in 11 games with
the Tigers who are in 4th place in the league.
Despite
signing with ERC Ingolstadt last week Jamie Langenbrunner
was unable to play in the weekend's games as he was
not yet licensed.
The
AHL All Star Roster reads like this year's NHL YoungStars
game should have. Players like Thomas Vanek, Kari
Lehtonen, Zach Parise and Keith Ballard would likely
have all been playing in the NHL had their not been
a lockout.
The
Minnesota Wild plan to lay off 11 employees in the coming
weeks as a result of the NHL lockout.
Quick Speculation:
Bob
Naegele, the CEO of the Minnesota Wild makes his home
in Naples, Florida, home of the ECHL Florida Everblades.
The Wild's primary ECHL affiliate, the Louisiana Ice
Gators are under operation by the league who took over
ownership this season to allow the team to finish the
season. The Gators are expected to fold following
the conclusion of this year leaving the Wild without
a AA affiliate. Now comes word from Naples that
current the 'Blades ownership group, KTB Sports, has
signed a letter of intent to sell the franchise to an
as of yet unnamed buyer. Quick Facts speculates
that buyer could be MSE, the ownership group of the
Wild. Germain Arena, home to the Everblades, is
included in the sale. Other names that have popped up
as prospective owners include Robert Brooks, co-owner
of the Wheeling Nailers, and Frank D'Alessandro, a Fort
Myers realtor.
Quick Take:
This
year's IIHF World Championships to be held in Austria
will likely be one of the best in recent memory.
Without the conflict of the NHL the rosters of national
teams playing for medals will be packed with talent.
This, hopefully, will be most evident with Team USA.
Last year USA Hockey tried a blackmail approach to lure
NHL players, who repeatedly refuse the call to represent
their nation in the spring tournament, by claiming that
those who played in the World Championships would receive
preference for the World Cup of Hockey roster spots.
The threat was not followed through with only three
members of the World Championship roster also playing
in the World Cup. Team USA's roster will
suffer this season for the number of AHL players who
will be unavailable due to the Calder Cup playoffs,
players like Brandon Bochenski and Zach Parise will
likely be unavailable, but names to look for on this
year's World Championship roster should include:
Team USA veterans Craig Johnson and Brett Hauer both
play in the German professional leagues and are virtual
sure-bets to make the team. Look for Paul Martin,
Jordan Leopold, Mark Parrish, Matt Cullen, Keith Ballard,
Erik Westrum, Erik Rasmussen and Darby Hendrickson to
all be considered for the Team USA roster at this year's
tournament in Innsbruck, Austria. All have represented
their country in the past, with Westrum being one of
the standout players helping Team USA earn a Bronze
Medal in last year's World Championships.
The World Championships could be the only opportunity
to see NHL players in competition as IIHF President
Rene Fasel had stated in the past that unless a new
NHL CBA be reached by the end of January 2005, NHL players
would not be allowed to participate in the 2006 Olympics
in Turino, Italy. While no one can say for certain what
impact playing the Olympics without NHL players for
the first time since Nagano would be, the most signifigant
effect will be felt amongst the minor leagues and college
ranks. In the past the University of Minnesota
lost players to the US Olympic team for full seasons.
While that would be unlikely, a USA roster without NHL
players, would most probably consist of players already
playing in Europe, minor league players whose teams
allowed them to be released for the term of Olympic
competition, and collegiate players.
Quick Take II:
How
exactly can NHL players agree to a new CBA based on
a salary cap when there is no agreement on the actual
finances of the NHL More than a few NHL owners
and managers have been convicted of fraud in the last
few years. The NHLPA is expected to take their
word for the figure on which to base a fixed salary
to revenue structure? Until a third party, whether
that be a mediator or an auditor, is brought into the
fray, there will never be a resolution to this conflict.
Quick Quotes:
"I'm
optimistic. I based this on the fact that the Thursday
meetings ended and the parties were not bad mouthing
each other. That tells me that the lines of communication
are still open and that they are looking for a solution."
- Minnesota agent Neil
Sheehy on his hopes for an NHL resolution. (Stan Fischler,
msgnetwork.com)
"It's
a great cause, what we're doing. Hopefully we lighten
their day."
- Atlantic City Boardwalk
Bullies captain Luke Curtain on the Bullies' second
annual Face-Off Against Kids Cancer where area children
are paired with different players at various events
and games. (Atlantic City Press)
"Curtin's
a big, strong guy. The knock on him was that his skating
was average, but I thought it was fine. I thought
he was the best two-way guy in the (ECHL) last year.
He can play both sides of the puck. He's a smart player,
and he sees the ice. He knows where to put the puck."
- New York Islanders coach
Steve Stirling on Luke Curtain. Curtain wasn't
signed by the Islanders to an AHL contract this season
due to the NHL lockout. (Atlantic City Press)
"They
want to have a partnership with the players. They need
to have a partnership with themselves."
- Jeremy Roenick on the
NHL owners and his believe that revenue sharing
is mandatory for any new CBA. (ESPN.com)
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01.28.05
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NEWSBREAK:
Keith Ballard, Thomas Vanek, Zach Parise and Brandon
Bochenski have all been named to the 2005 PlanetUSA
AHL All Star Team. Vanek and Parise were voted
starters by AHL fans. Parise is second in AHL rookie
scoring with 31 points for the Albany River Rats.
Vanek is tied for the rookie lead in goals with 18,
including 10 power-play markers and has a +3 rating
with the Rochester Americans. Bochenski leads
all rookies with 36 points and is a +7 for the Binghamton
Senators. Ballard has two goals, both scored on
the powerplay, and 12 assists playing all situations
with the Utah Grizzlies. All four players would most
likely be playing in the NHL had their not been a lockout
this season.
The 2005 AHL All Star Classic will be played in Manchester,
New Hampshire. The All Star Skills Competition
is held on Sunday, February 13th with the All Star Game
scheduled on Monday, February 1st. The All Star
Game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
(some info from the AHL).
Cloquet's
Jamie Langenbrunner has signed to play with ERC Ingolstadt
in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
10
players from each Colorado College and the University
of Wisconsin are nominated for the Hobey Baker award,
University of Michigan comes in with 12 nominees, the
most of any school. The University of Minnesota
Golden Gophers have 11 nominees, Chris Harrington, Andy
Sertich, Judd Stevens, Alex Goligoski, Barry Tallackson,
Gino Guyer, Jake Fleming, Tyler Hirsch, Kellen Briggs,
Danny Irmen and Ryan Potulny are all nominated.
Potulny was the leading vote-getter as of Monday evening,
first day of preliminary voting, with 362 votes.
Leading all nominees was Colin Murphy, the forward for
Michigan Tech that helped lead the Huskies to a weekend
sweep of the Gophers. There are a total of 49 nominees
for the Hobey Baker from the WCHA. Those registered
can vote for their favorite Hobey candidates once a
day at HobeyBaker.com. Unfortunately the website
was down for part of Wednesday.
Troy
Riddle is out of the Worcester IceCats game with a rib
injury. He isn't expected to be out long.
According
to Ryan Stewart of the Greenville Grrrowl the return
of Joey Martin to the team has been a welcome addition.
Martin missed several months with post-concussion syndrome
but returned shortly after New Year's. Stewart
said that Martin is still adjusting to play but his
work ethic and enthusiasm is appreciated by the coaching
staff. Martin has been added to the power play
unit where he has reportedly shown some offensive flare.
He has yet to notch his first official professional
point.
Roseau's
Dustin Byfuglien was named WHL player of month last
month. The defenseman leads Prince George in goals,
assists, points, plus/minus, PIMs, powerplay goals and shooting
percentage. Byfuglien is a Chicago Blackhawks
draft choice.
Thomas
Vanek scored a pair of goals during mid-week play for
the Rochester Americans. He scored the third marker
in the Amerks' 5-1 victory Tuesday against the Cleveland
Barons and earned an assist on the fourth. Wednesday
Vanek got on the board again this time with an early
first period goal against the Hamilton Bulldogs.
The Amerks scored three more goals in the first.
Hamilton answered back with a powerplay goal in the
second and added a late third period tally when Vanek
took an ill-advised slashing penalty late in the game
making the score 4-2.
Bryan
Lundbohm had an assist on the game-winning goal for
the Milwaukee Admirals as they topped the Houston Aeros
3-2 Tuesday. He was held scoreless and went -1
Wednesday as the Ads were felled by the San Antonio
Rampage 3-2.
Zach
Parise finally got back on the scoreboard Monday with
a powerplay goal against the Philadelphia Phantoms.
The Albany River Rats couldnt hold on to the lead, however,
giving up three third period goals to Philly.
Ben Stafford had an assist on the game-winner.
Parise
showed his scoring prowess Wednesday scoring two goals,
including the overtime game-winner leading the Rats
over the Worcester IceCats 4-3 Wednesday. Mike
Stuart was -3 for the Cats.
Josh
Langfeld had two goals including the late third
period game-winner, a shorthanded tally, as the Binghamton
Senators topped the Providence Bruins 5-4 Wednesday
night. Brandon Bochenski had the game-tying goal
in the third, assisted by Andy Hedlund, who had three
helpers in the game.
Andrew
Canzanello and Jon Francisco each scored an assist in
the ECHL All Star Game Wednesday night. The American
Conference jumped out to a 2-0 lead but after that it
was all National Conference, scoring 4 unanswered goals.
National Captain Luke Curtain was held scoreless in
the game. Former Wild goaltending prospect Barry
Brust had an assist on the last goal in the third period.
Brust was a last minute replacement for the National
Team. In the SKills Competition Curtain, Canzanello
and the American Conference's Matt Hendricks all scored
during the breakaway relay. Canzanello also won
the individual puck control relay.
Reed
Larson's Team NY Islanders didn't fare well in the Esso
3-on-3 tournament in Calgary last weekend losing 4-5
to Calgary and 3-2 to Edmonton. Reportedly
the players from the Islanders and Blackhawks teams
were at a slight disadvantage after checking out the
local watering holes Friday night before the games
at the Stampede. Over 6,000 fans showed up for the afternoon
games and the final where the Boston Bruins team
topped the defending champion Vancouver Canucks 2-1.
Former Moose goalie Tom Draper played well according
to Larson.
Shjon
Podein will return from playing hockey in Sweden in
April at which time he will be working with his Children's
Foundation to put on a fundraising event, likely a concert,
in Minneapolis to raise money for his charity.
This will be an additional event to his annual Celebrity
Party and Golf Tournament held the last weekend in June
in Rochester. The Golf Tournament is already filled
for the 2005 event but there are opportunitites to participate
with the Celebrity Party the night before.
Quick Quote:
"Some
people believe the NHL will be out one to two years
and they're saying, 'Do I want to put my son into [the
WHL] when they're not going to get drafted. Why
not explore the U.S. college ranks?'"
- Moose Jaw Warriors General
Manager Chad Lang (Globe & Mail)
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01.26.05
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Former
Gopher Jeff Taffe may be out for the season after undergoing
reconstructive facial surgery. Taffe suffered multiple
fractures to the orbital bone (cheekbone) during a fight
in December. Taffe underwent surgery in Arizona,
performed by a Phoenix Coyotes physician, having
three metal plates placed to stabilize the fractures
and repair the damage. Reports indicate that the
Coyotes most likely do not want Taffe risking further
and more permanent damage by playing for the Utah Grizzlies
this season. Should he return to play with a full
face mask there remains a large risk for injury from
a hit to the side of the head that a shield would not
protect against. The Grizzlies are at the bottom
of the AHL standings and will not make the playoffs
this season so the short time Taffe could play
with the team if he returned isn't likely worth the
risk for further injury he would incur.
Taffe
isn't the only former Gopher with injury trouble in
the pros this season. John Pohl is back in Minnesota
and will likely undergo surgery to repair a broken hand,
ending his season with the Worcester IceCats.
Grant Potulny is expected to miss at least six weeks
after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia.
Travis Richards currently missing games with the Grand
Rapids Griffins due to an ankle injury. Joey Martin
recently returned to the Greenville Grrrowl lineup after
missing several months after suffering a concussion.
Ryan Kraft recently was knocked off the active roster
for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers after he suffered a
concussion from being hit in the jaw by a stick, but
is expected to return soon. Earlier this year
Matt Koalska missed over a month with the Tigers as
a result of a broken foot. Jake Taylor only missed
four games for the Hartford Wolf Pack after taking a
puck to the face in practice, but played with a full
face mask so he could return. Reggie Berg just
returned to the Florida Everblades after missing several
months recovering from knee surgery. Matt
DeMarchi has missed parts of the season with back
ailments.
Friday
night the Bridgeport Sound Tigers edged the Albany River
Rats 3-2 in a shootout. Matt Koalska missed his
shot in only his second shootout attempt, Zach
Parise also missed. The win stopped an 8-game
losing skid for the Tigers.
Keith
Ballard notched an assist on Aaron Gavey's game-winning
goal for the Utah Grizzlies Friday night. It was
a rare win for the Grizzlies ending an eight-game
losing streak. "It felt really good" said
Ballard after the win.
Adam
Hauser suffered only his 5th loss of the season as the
Binghamton Senators topped the Manchester Monarchs 4-1
Friday night. Josh Langfeld and Brandon Bochenski
each had a goal and assist for the Sens.
Langfeld
also scored what would become the game-winning goal
for the Binghamton Senators leading them to victory
4-3 over the St. John's Maple Leafs Saturday. He
also had two assists in the game that helped put the
surging Sens atop the East Division standings.
Bochenski
had two assists and a powerplay goal on Sunday leading
the Senators to their 8th consecutive victory, this
time against the Hershey Bears 5-3.
Joe
Motzko scored the deciding goal in the Syracuse Crunch's 2-1
shootout victory over the Rochester Amerks. Thomas
Vanek was the only shooter to score for Rochester but
both Motzko and Hartigan found the back of the net for
the Crunch.
Bryce
Lampman scored the only goal for the Hartford Wolf
Pack in their 4-1 loss to the Worcester IceCats Friday
night. Mike Stuart had an assist and Troy Riddle
finished +1 on the night for the Cats.
Lampman
had two assists and went +3 as the Hartford Wolf Pack
beat the Lowell Lock Monsters 6-4 Saturday night.
Bryan
Lundbohm scored the game-winner for the Milwaukee Admirals
friday night as the Ads shut out the San Antonio Rampage
4-0. Wyatt Smith scored the second goal for Milwaukee.
Lundbohm
continued his recent hot streak Saturday, scoring a
goal for the Milwaukee Admirals against the Hamilton
Bulldogs Saturday. Wyatt Smith had an assist on
Tony Hrkac's late tally that helped the Ads tied the
score late. The Bulldogs eventually won the game
in a shootout 4-3.
Matt
Koalska missed on his second ever shootout attempt Friday
night but his Bridgeport Sound Tigers still beat the
Albany River Rats 3-2. Zach Parise was held without
a point in regulation and in the shooutout. The
victory ended an 8-game skid for the Tigers. The
Tigers fell to the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-1
Saturday night. Ryan Kraft remains out of the
Tigers' lineup due to a concussion.
Casey
Hankinson assisted on the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks' game-winning
goal in overtime as they topped the Hamilton Bulldogs
4-3 Friday night.
Thomas
Vanek scored for the Rochester Americans in the shootout
Saturday night but both Mark Hartigan and Joe Motzko
scored for the Syracuse Crunch, giving them the 2-1
victory.
The
future of the Wild, if they ever return, was in
action Sunday night. Pierre Marc Bouchard and
Mikko Koivu both scored third period goals to tie the
Grand Rapids Griffins at three all. The game went
into a shootout but all Houston Aeros players were turned
away by Joey McDonald while Mike Smith allowed three
Griffins shooters to score giving Grand Rapids the 3-2
win. Travis Richards missed another game with
an ankle injury.
Colin
Stuart was recalled to the Chicago Wolves after spending
a brief time in the ECHL with the Gwinnett Gladiators.
A
luxury boat belonging to Wild Goaltender Manny Fernandez
was on display at the Boat Show recently held at the
Minneapolis Convention Center. The boat was reportedly
a new purchase for the netminder who is currently playing
in Europe during the lockout.
The
Esso 3 on 3 Pond Hockey Classic tournament was held
this weekend in Calgary. Reed Larson played on the
NY Islanders' team with former Minnesoa Moose goalie
Tom Draper. Joel Otto played on the Calgary Flames'
alumni team. According to their website, The 3
on 3 Hockey Classic has been staged in Calgary for the
last eight years, and through corporate sponsorship
and ticket sales, has been successful in raising over
$985,000 for Calgary Minor Hockey, Kidsport and selected
charities. The 3 on 3 Hockey Classic features 8 NHL
Alumni teams participating in a one day, 11 game tournament.
The Vancouver Canucks alumni were the defending champions.
Former
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jason Marshall has signed
to play with HC Plzen in the Slovakia.
Goaltender
Adam Hauser is ranked the 18th top prospect for the
LA Kings by Hockeysfuture.com. Hauser is currently
ranked as the third best netminder in the AHL.
Did
you know - that a goaltender can freeze the puck behind
the net and goal line as long as some part of his body
is in crease? If he is not in the crease then
the opposition would receive a two-minute minor penalty.
(Thanks to Greg Shepherd, WCHA director of officiating for
that tidbit)
The
ECHL All Star Game is being held this Wednesday.
Jon Francisco has been added to the roster as a replacement
for a player under recall to the AHL. The 23-year-old
Francisco has 20 points (9g-11a) in 34 games with the
Reading Royals.
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01.19.05
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EXCLUSIVE:
Grant Potunly underwent successful surgery to repair
a sports hernia and will be out of the lineup for the
Binghamgton Senators of the AHL for at least six weeks.
Potulny saw a specialist in Montreal last week to definitively
diagnose the abdominal injury that had been bothering
him for weeks and progressively got worse until he was
forced to stop playing. Potulny's surgery does
coincide with the AHL All Star Break in mid-February.
He will likely return shortly after play resumes after
the break.
ALSO:
Former Gopher John Pohl's season may be over.
Pohl suffered a hand fracture in mid-December while
playing with the Worcester IceCats of the AHL. He
has reportedly returned home to Minnesota and is considering
surgery to repair the fracture, which would effectively
end his season. Pohl has been in and out of the
Worcester IceCats lineup all season, both as an injury
and healthy scratch. In 13 games played with the
Cats this season Pohl has three goals and nine assists.
Prior to the injury, it was likely Pohl would be traded.
Troy
Davenport is leaving Cornell University and returning
to the USHL. Davenport is the goaltender who lead
Simley to the Minnesota High School Hockey Championships
two years ago. Davenport played for Green Bay
of the USHL before joining Cornell.
Luke
Curtain was named a Captain for the 2005 Coors Light
ECHL All-Star Game on January 26 at the Sovereign Center
in Reading, Pa. Curtin will be making his second start
and third appearance in an ECHL All-Star Game. While
playing for Baton Rouge, Curtin was named as a starter
for the Southern Conference in 2000 and was selected
to the Southern Conference roster in 1999. (ECHL)
Ryan
Kraft does not have a broken jaw and is listed day-to-day
for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers after taking a puck
off his chin Saturday night during a game. The Tigers
have lost 110 man-games to injury so far this season.
The
Sound Tigers, farm team of the NY Islanders, will play
a game on the Island in Nassau Coliseum on February
18th.
Former
North Star Basil McRae will play with Barry Melrose
and Steve Martinson on the Adirondack Red Wing Alumni
team against ESPN personalities Darren Pang, John Saunders,
John Buccigross and the rest of the UHL Commissioners
Team in an exhibition game during UHL All Star Game
festivities this weekend in Glens Falls. Proceeds
from the game and a jersey auction will benefit the
Ronald McDonald House and the United Way.
Bryan
Lundbohm opened the scoring for the Milwaukee Admirals
against the San Antonio Rampage Tuesday night.
Early in the third period Josh Olson tied the score
at two all, but Milwaukee's Dan Hamhuis, assisted by
Wyatt Smith, scored again for the Admirals, what proved
the be the game-winner. Smith added an insurance
goal as the Ads topped the San Antonio Rampage 4-2.
Wednesday,
in a head-to-head matchup of two of the leading candidates
for AHL Rookie of the Year honors, Thomas Vanek and
Zach Parise, it was Vanek who came out on top, on his
birthday no less, with the Rochester Americans shutting
out the Albany River Rats 4-0. Vanek had an assist
on the game-winner but was held without a goal despite
five shots on net. Parise was held scoreless on
two shots.
Mikko
Koivu scored the game-winner, assisted by Kyle Wanvig
and Stephane Veilleux, as the Houston Aeros shut out
the Edmonton Road Runners Wednesday night.
Casey
Hankinson scored the insurance goal in a shootout as
the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks topped in-state rival Cleveland
4-3 Wednesday night. Hankinson's goal was the
third in the first round for the Ducks, only one Barons
skater tallied against Cinci in the shootout.
Jake
Taylor was a +2 and Ken Gernander and Bryce Lampman
assisted on the game-winning goal for the Hartford Wolf
Pack as they downed the Springfield Falcons 5-0 Wednesday.
Voting
continues for the Hobey Baker Award nominees.
Ryan Potulny is currently leading nominees with Mike
Sertich and Kellen Briggs second and third respectively.
All players receiving 25 nominations will be included
in the voting round.
Matt
Snesrud was named an All Star and will play in the UHL
All Star Game representing the Missouri River Otters
and the Team Mountain Dew on January 24th. Snesrud
is third among all UHL defensemen in scoring with
26 points (6, 20) and he has a solid plus/minus
rating of plus-6.
Center
Yannick Carpentier is one point shy of passing Richard
Keyes for third place on the Michigan K-Wings All-Time
points list. He is also three assists shy of tying Minnesotan
Matt Loen for third place on the K-Wings All-Time assist
list.
USA
Hockey, the governing body for the sport and the chief
advocate for the spread of the game among young people,
had nearly 25,000 under-18 teams registered last year,
a total of some 366,000 players, up from 166,000 in
1991. That includes more than 48,000 girls, a nearly
eightfold increase in the same time period. (New York
Times)
Angela
Ruggiero has signed to play with the Tulsa Oilers of
the CHL. Ruggiero is considered one of the top
womens hockey players in the world.
Installation
of the new video scoreboards at Mariucci Arena is hoped
to be completed by the second week in February.
As well as the new video replay boards the installation
includes a wireless camera, a content delivery system
and an instant replay server. Equipment costs
for both Williams and Mariucci Arena video upgrades
totals $725,700.
Quick Quotes:
"The
Mayor certainly supports fiscally responsible management
of Target Center, including maximizing the revenue brought
in for additional events in the facility, but he
does not get involved in the day-to-day management of
Target Center."
- Laura Sether, Senior
Policy Aide and Press Secretary for Minneapolis Mayor
RT Rybak in response to the management company for Target
Center rejecting the World Hockey Association's overtures
to possibly locate a franchise for the new league in
the building owned by the city.
"For
the past two and a half years I've heard it quite a
bit too much for what it probably means to both
of us. As far as I'm concerned it's always been
team against team but the media always makes it Parise
vs. Vanek and Vanek vs. Parise. Individual success is
not big for me. Winning is."
- Thomas Vanek when asked
about another head-to-head matchup against fellow AHL
rookie Zach Parise. (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
"There's
no intrinsic economic benefit from building a sports
facility. You have to look at the details of the
financing, the facility and the location."
- Andrew Zimbalist, a
leading sports economist who teaches at Smith College.
(NY Times)
"Mat
has been playing both ends of the ice very well. He's
making the power play accountable, and he's just doing
a lot of the little things, keeping the game simple.
He's one of the best skaters in the league defensively,
and he makes good decisions with the puck."
- Missouri
River Otters Head Coach Ken Kuminski on Minneapolis
native Mat Snesrud.
Quick Speculation:
Quick
Facts has learned that top US Prospect Phil Kessel is
most likely to commit to the University of Wisconsin
but will probably wait until visiting the University
of Minnesota on February 19th to formally announce.
Quick
Facts sources also indicate that the most likely additional
recruit for the 2006 Gopher freshman class will be Jamie
McBain, joining Mike Carman, Kyle Okposo, Peter Mueller
and Erik Johnson who have all committed to the program.
Quick Take:
"If
or when it were ever to happen, we would review the
relevant documentation and make an appropriate determination.
We choose not to deal in hypotheticals."
- Bill Daly on the possibility
that control of Lord Stanley's cup may be wrested from
the NHL by a movement in Canada. (Toronto Star)
However his statement is ironic in that he states that
the league does not deal in hypotheticals but their
entire argument for a salary cap and their denial of
the NHLPA's recent proposal is entirely based on a hypothetical
view of revenue and expenses. The NHL states that
the salary rollback offered would be more than made
up for in two years, but that is hypothetically based
on the premise that NHL owners are too stupid to learn
from their previous mistakes and would quickly make
them again.
Everything in the NHL CBA labor dispute has been hypothetical.
Until someone sits down and gets a real accounting of
the exact revenue and income of the NHL's teams there
can never be an agreement because the principle the
NHL is clinging to is that the only way to acheive cost
certainty is through a salary cap while the players
insist that other methods can be used to ensure competitive
balance and bring finances back to a manageable level
for all teams.
That elusive number, that hypothetical number is what
is necessary to have any hope for a return of the NHL.
And the NHL will have to accept that hypothetical or
they will have to discover the hypotheticals of what
losing two entire NHL seasons will bring to the sport
and the future of the league.
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