Troy Riddle scored a hat trick in the Peoria Rivermen's first preseason game, a 6-5 victory against the Chicago Wolves.  Also scoring for the Riverman was Justin Maiser while Colin Stuart had a goal in the losing effort for Chicago.  Two of Riddle's goals came on the power play.  Riddle and the Rivermen play the expansion Stars tonight in Des Moines with 50% of the price of every ticket sold tonight will be given to the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

It's not news to Minnesota fans but Thomas Vanek is good, really good.  He currently leads the NHL in preseason goals (five in four games) for the Sabres.  Vanek missed a recent practice with a strained hip but he figures to be a starter on the top line for Buffalo skating with Daniel Briere and JP Dumont.  Vanek has yet to find an apartment in Buffalo.

Tied for the lead in NHL preseason goal scoring is Brandon Bochenski of the Senators with five goals in three games, including a hat trick in one game.  Bochenski and Vanek lead the AHL with Rene Bourque in rookie scoring last season.  Not bad for a Sioux, Gopher and Badger.

Wayzata's John Adams was assigned to the Rochester Americans by the Buffalo Sabres.  Adams played four years at Boston College.  Adams is still an unsigned free agent despite being drafted by the Sabres.

John Pohl made a great impression in Maple Leafs training camp but was assigned to the AHL Marlies on Tuesday.  Pohl will be amongst three forwards on the top of the list for recall.  With an aging Leafs corps who has shown a tendency for injuries in the past, that may not take too long.  Also on that list is Alexander Steen, son of Wild scout Thomas Steen.

Wyatt Smith and Matt Koalska have been reassigned  by the NY Islanders to their affiliate in Bridgeport, Conn.  Koalska was not given a chance to play in a preseason game.
 
Mark Stuart has been paired with Brian Leetch on the Boston Bruins blueline during the preseason.  He has an excellent chance to crack the NHL lineup as a rookie.
 
Barry Tallackson is making a case to stick with the New Jersey Devils roster as he remains in camp with the NHL club.  With the trade of Jeff Friesen the Devils have an extra forward position availble on the roster.  Tallackson has been matched with Zach Parise and Viktor Kozlov.  Matt DeMarchi has been reassigned to Albany.The Devils will still need to make another move to come into compliance with the cap if they field a 23-man opening night roster or when Patrick Elias returns to the active roster. 

Mark Cullen and Dustun Byfyglien have been reassigned to the Norfolk Admirals by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Todd Rohloff, who was expected to compete for a spot as the Lightning's 7th defenseman, has been reassigned to the Springfield Falcons.

JP Parise was in attendance at the Meadowlands as his son Zach score on a power play goal set up by Paul Martin as the New Jersey Devils took on the New York Rangers in preseason action Tuesday night.  Martin was part of a five-man unit with fellow Gophers Barry Tallackson and Erik Rasmussen during the game.

The Central Hockey League has adopted all of the rule changes the NHL implemented this season but went one step further, eliminated the rule limiting stick curvature.  No word yet whether any players have shown up to camp with jai alai curves on their sticks.


Quick Quotes:

"I was even more determined to get here.  I knew I was better than a lot of the guys that were drafted. I just worked my butt off and got to where I am.’’

- Former UW Badger Rene Bourque on not being drafted and signing with the Chicago Blackhawks. (Virginian Pilot) 
 
"He's probably the most all-around gifted player I've been around."

- Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff on Thomas Vanek (Buffalo News)
 
"There is no reason why Paul Martin, on our club, can't be a star. And maybe Zach Parise." 

- Larry Robinson on who the next generation of NHL stars will be following the retirement of players like Messier, Stevens and Francis.


Quick Speculation:

When it looked as though Hurricane Rita was going to make a direct hit on Houston , the home of the Wild's AHL affiliate Aeros, the team was looking at alternate arena arrangements for the team to play in should their building in Houston suffer damage or be renedered unusable.  The team contacted facilities in Austin, College Station and San Antonio Texas. 
 
While several NHL teams have moved their AHL teams to arenas in their own cities the Wild would not likely have had that option should the Aeros be forced to relocate due to Hurricane Rita.  Target Center's obligation to the Minnesota Timberwolves and other scheduled events would make it unlikely the team could have relocated, even temporarily, to Minneapolis.
 
"Should the [Houston's] entertainment venues become unusable for the Houston Aeros, we would be willing to at least discuss the possibility of their playing in our arena.  It is, however, pretty unlikely that we would be able to find the number of open dates that the team would require." said Sandy Swetser of Target Center.
 
As it stands the Aeros' home was left relatively unscathed by Rita and the team began training camp on Tuesday in Houston.

Congratulations to Grant and Melissa Potulny on the arrival of their first child, son Jackson Potulny.  No word on whether Don Lucia is reserving a 2027 scholarship for Jack yet.  According to the former Gopher Captain whom players called 'Pops', "Everything went great." 

Read a Quick Facts Q&A with Poltulny

Potulny has been reassigned to the Binghamton Senators but will play in one exhibition game on Friday the 23rd against the Pittsburgh Penguins as the Sens will play the game in Bingo.  Potulny will skate the fourth line with Steve Martins and Danny Bois.

Jake Brenk has signed with the Greenville Grrrowl of the ECHL.  Brenk played with the team after the end of the Mankato Mavericks' season last year.

Former Edison and BU netminder Derek Herlofsky is now working with former Gopher Mike Lyons in medical equipment sales.

Tim Conboy has been reassigned to the Cleveland Barons from the San Jose Sharks.

Adam Hauser survived the first round of cuts for the LA Kings, remaining in camp for the preseason.  Hauser is expected to be the starting goaltender in Manchester this season with Jason LaBarbara backing up Mathieu Garon in LA.
 
Jay Rosehill was reassigned to the Springfield Falcons by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
 
Barry Tallackson has reportedly looked good in his first camp with the New Jersey Devils but hasn't played with the veterans much.  He is expected to start the season in Albany.

Matt DeMarchi came into Devils' camp vying for the 8th defender position but has reportedly dropped on the depth charts to a certain AHL player behind David Hale, Sean Brown and Tommy Albelein.

Wyatt Smith scored the only goal in the New York Islanders' preseason 2-1 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers, a power-play tally.  He is competing for a depth position with the team.

The new NHL ad campaign revolves around the tagline "My NHL."  The ads feature a hockey player played by Will Bryant, an Albert Lea native who played college hockey at Carleton in Northfield. 

Former UND forward Lee Goren, who has bided his time in the minors for several years, is getting a chance with the Vancouver Canucks this fall and has a good chance at making the final lineup.  Goren, a Winnipeg native, was the Manitoba Moose's scoring leader last season.  He played the first preseason game for the Canucks on a line with the Sedin twins, scoring a goal and an assist.  Goren began his pro career as a Boston Bruins prospect but has played only 37 NHL games since leaving UND following his junior year in 2000.

Aaron Schneekloth has been signed by the Houston Aeros.  Since completing his career at North Dakota, Schneekloth has played in the ECHL, AHL and last season for the CHL New Mexico Scorpions.

Alexander Steen, the son of Wild scout Thomas Steen, has had a good camp and may make the final Toronto Maple Leafs roster.  But there is a logjam at forward with the Leafs, with several forwards competing for few spots.  John Pohl is also in that running.  After a history of poor training camps wtih the St. Louis Blues Pohl appears to have made up for that in his first year with the Leafs.  According to sources Pohl is definitely ready for the NHL but may be forced to start in the AHL because of the pecking order.  Pohl will get a chance to play again this weekend against Montreal or Ottawa.

Jason Blake is skating a line with Trent Hunter and Mike York with the New York Islanders, the likely second line behind Mark Parrish, Alexi Yashin and Miroslav Satan as the first line.

Quick Quotes:

"Travis is an important part of our team and we'll take all the time he needs to get healthy.  We won't rush him." 

- Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Greg Ireland on veteran Travis Richards entering his 10th year with the team following an injury-plagued season last year. (Grand Rapids Press)
 
"I don't think you can worry about those things.  I'm just thinking about doing my job and if I'm the guy that needs to go, then that's the way it works. I guess nobody's safe."

- Jamie Langenbrunner on the possibility of being traded because of the Devils' salary cap trouble. (Bergen Record)


Quick Speculation:

Don't rule out Jamie Langenbrunner being traded to the Minnesota Wild, a salary cap victim for the New Jersey Devils  Erik Rasmussen could also be placed on waivers or traded by the Devils, especially since he tweaked his back during practice this week.

Quick Take:

Mike Schmidt sang the national anthem for the Minnesota Wild prior to the start of their preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks.  The Wild should make sure that no one but Schmidt ever sings the anthems.  He does the most justice to the difficult song and encourages all the fans to sing with him.  With the rebuilding of fan trust and loyalty a priority, having the stability of Schmidt's perfection in delivering the difficult song would certainly help in that effort.


Hockey & Hurricanes:

With Hurricane Rita bearing down on Houston, the Minnesota Wild's farm team the Houston Aeros have delayed the scheduled start of training camp which was originally to begin on Monday.  The offices have been shut down and staffers were part of the evacuation.  Unfortunately not everyone was able to leave due to the traffic and gas shortage so turned back.  They plan to ride out the storm in Downtown Houston.  Contingency plans for Aeros training camp are in the works with College Station, Austin and San Antonio all possibilites.  Only a few players were already in Houston and have already left the city.  Players reassigned by the Wild yesterday are currently enjoying personal time until such time as the camp is rescheduled or they are claimed off waivers by another team.

Darby Hendrickson, unable to find an NHL contract this season, has signed a two-year deal to play in Austria with Red Bulls Salzburg playing in both the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga and the Österreichische Nationalliga.  Hendrickson played in Latvia last season until the death of his teammate and friend Sergei Zholtok.  Hendrickson was reportedly in Latvia visiting Zholtok's family when he signed the deal to play for energy drink magnate Dietrich Mateschitz's hockey team. The Bulls begin the season on Thursday against EHC Liwest Linz.  

Clay Matvick, who had interviewed for the Wild television play-by-play job, has been named the play-by-play announcer for St. Cloud State University's Husky hockey broadcasts.  Matvick, a Princeton, Minn. native, is an alumnus of SCSU.

Inver Grove Heights native Eric Rud moved into a new house in St. Cloud this week with his family.  He was named interim Assistant Coach of the Huskies and hopes to secure the job long-term when the national search is completed next summer. 

Doug Risebrough said just before the preseason that there were really only three open roster spots for the Wild; that he had already penciled in the remainder of the lineup.  Unless someone really stole the show in camp that lineup would be the opening night roster.  The only real competition was amongst five players for three positions.  Mikko Koivu seems to have secured his spot leaving two openings for Stephane Veilleux, Rickard Wallin, Erik Westrum and Kyle Wanvig.  All four are still in contention for the remaining two positions but it does look as though Stephane Veilleux may have the inside track on a spot, leaving the 'W's competing for the last place.  Westrum was not in the lineup for the Wild's first two preseason games at the X.

Thomas Vanek was given a nice round of applause after he was announced as part of the starting lineup for Tuesday's preseason game in St. Paul.  Vanek had two assists in the game and was selected for the exhibition shootout.  Vanek used a move where he circled the puck with his stick, an attempt to throw the goaltender, but Manny Fernandez didn't bite and stoned the former Gopher.  Vanek has reportedly been practicing that move for quite some time.

Mark Parrish has been named an Alternate Captain for the New York Islanders.
 
John Pohl is matched on a line with Ben Ondrus and Nathan Perrott, creating a line dubbed the 'OPP' line by Canadian media.  In the Leafs' preseason debut Pohl scored a power play goal and set up Ondrus with a nice pass in the 5-0 shutout of the Boston Bruins.  TSN reports that Ondrus and Pohl are likely headed to the AHL Toronto Marlies soon.

Troy Riddle was a member of the Championship Gold team for the St. Louis Blues in their preseason intrasquad tournament.  Riddle scored the first goal for the Gold Team in the second period, assisted by Andy Roach and Trent Whitfield.  Riddle also had an assist with Whitfield after setting up Lee Stempniak for the insurance goal in the 4-2 win.  Riddle was reassigned to the Peoria Rivermen with Mike Stuart.  Justin Maiser is also in camp with the Rivermen.

Bret Hedican will star with wife Kristi Yamaguchi in a series of General Electric appliance ads this year.  The couple shot the television commercials during the lockout.

Sean Hill is currently sitting out Florida Panthers' games with a hip flexor strain.  It is unknown whether he will play as Florida plays the Wild in Grand Forks.

Junior Lessard has reportedly played well with the Dallas Stars during training camp but is likely to be reassigned to the Des Moines Stars.  According to reports out of Dallas they Stars management likes his play but thinks he's still a bit raw and one more year of seasoning in the AHL will be beneficial.  He could, however, be an early recall if the Stars end up in injury trouble.

Paul Martin has been paired with Dan McGill thus far in practices and intrasquad scrimmages with the New Jersey Devils.  They have yet to play a preseason game.

Jason Blake has been matched with Alexi Yashin and Miroslav Satan on the Islanders' top line in training camp.

Brad Thompson has been signed by the ECHL Idaho Steelheads.  The former Minnesota State-Mankato center played the end of the season last year with the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL.

Colin Stuart and Travis Roche were reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals from the Atlanta Thrashers as part of traning camp reassignements.

Brian Gornick, Andy Murray and Andy Canzanello were reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Bernd Bruckler of the Wisconsin Badgers has signed to play with the Charlotte  Checkers of the ECHL.  He was a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2001 NHL Entry draft. He is currently in camp with the AHL Hartford Wolfpack, the Checkers' AHL affiliate. The Checkers also signed Blake Bellefeuille.

Several Minnesota Golden Gophers have been hitting the weight room hard this summer, beefing up for the coming season.  Ryan Potulny, Gino Guyer, Peter Kennedy and especially Chris Harrington are all sporting much larger chests and physiques thanks to intensive summer workouts.  All of them, as well as Mike Vannelli and PJ Atherton were in attendance watching former teammate Thomas Vanek skate with the Sabres against the Wild on Tuesday.

Look for several NHL wives to be toting new family additions or giving birth soon, a side effect of their husbands being home for an entire season.  There will likely be a nice NHL baby boom as a result of players being home for an entire year with their wives and girlfriends.

While some teams' players are tossing lots of pucks into the stands during warm ups, few Minnesota Wild players have done so in the first two preseason games.  Jim Dowd, now with Chicago, was notorious for picking out kids watching the pregame practice, flipping pucks to them before every game. 


Hockey & Hurricanes Part 6 - Now its Rita

Hurricane Rita, bearing down on the Texas coast has been upgraded to a Category 4 storm.  The Houston Aeros, farm team of the Wild, have cancelled their season ticket holder party scheduled Wednesday and the Aeros offices will close Thursday until Monday morning, after the storm has passed.  A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for Galveston and Houston.  Aeros Training Camp is still tentatively scheduled to open Monday. According to Aeros Communications Director Ryan Stanzel their practice rink can go 10 hours without power but with the intensity of the storm, power is likely to be out longer than that.  Alternate plans are being worked on for Aeros camp, like College Station and places northwest of Houston, but with the intensity of Rita, College Station could have 75 mph winds and 15 inches of rain, making that possibly an unusable option. Only about four players have already arrived in Houston and with flights likely to be cancelled over the next three days it could be difficult assembling a full field.  The Minnesota Wild have said it will be business as usual with regard to camp cuts and reassignments to Houston but they obviously will not be arriving this weekend, the same time as Rita is expected to make landfall and while the area is under mandatory evacuation orders.


Quick Take:

Recently Quick Facts expressed dismay at the arrogant public displays exhibited by NFL players after scoring or making a big play.  After watching two preseason games my faith in NHL athletes was reinforced.  Without exception, after every single goal, the goal-scorer looked immediately to the player who gave them the pass to share the glory with them and thank them for the assist; sharing credit for the score.  Without exception that was the case without any over-celebrations or stupid dances.  Thank goodness for hockey season! 

During the preseason, Wild prospect Roman Voloshenko was hosted by a Woodbury family whose son plays hockey for the University of St. Thomas. 

Former St. Thomas Tommie Anthony Blumer of Eagan has signed to play with the Amstel Tijgers Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Brandon Bochenski has been matched on a line with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatly in Ottawa Senators training camp, a line that looks likely to remain in tact for the start of the season.  They had 7 points in their preseason debut 5-4 victory against the Maple Leafs.

Joe Cullen, in camp with the Senators on a tryout, was signed to a one-year deal by the team. 

Also looking good to make the starting roster as a rookie is former UW Badger Rene Bourque who had a hand in every goal the Hawks scored against the Wild on Sunday.

Jake Taylor has been reassigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack after taking part in the New York Rangers' training camp.
 
Quick Facts had speculated earlier that the Wild player who might be the most penalized early in the season would be Wes Walz.  If Saturday night's preseason game is any indication, Walz is the one having the most difficult time adjusting to the crackdown on obstruction.

Several players filed grievances regarding payment of salaries and medical coverage for injuries they claimed were suffered during NHL play prior to the lockout.  Bret Hedican, Willie Mitchell and Matt Johnson have filed grievances but hearings schedules will not be finalized until next month.

With Lou Lamoriello in salary cap trouble it is likely that he will be forced to reassign an NHL player to his AHL club in Albany.  While Paul Martin is on a two-way contract it is virtually guaranteed that he will not be the one leaving the Meadowlands meaning the Devils will either be paying an NHL contract for a player with the River Rats or they will be paying half his salary if claimed by another NHL team after being placed on waivers for reassignment to the AHL.  The three most likely trade candidates for the Devils are Jeff Friesen, Sergei Brylin and Viktor Kozlov.  Also mentioned as possibly on the move are Jamie Langenbrunner and Erik Rasmussen.  Lamoriello has one week to come into compliance with the salary cap or the league will begin voiding the last contracts signed until the Devils' collective salary totals less than $39 million plus the the value of Patrik Elias' contract, which isn't applicable toward the cap while he is on injured reserve.


Interesting CBA Facts:

There is no specific penalty or formal stipulation contained in the new CBA for teams whose payroll falls below the minimum payroll.  It is simply understood and trusted that teams must have a team payroll above the minimum threshold.  There are no exceptions for the minimum payroll limit.
 
Teams that exceed the maximum payroll more than allowable under certain circumstances will have the last contract signed that put them over the cap voided by the league.  According to the NHLPA there is a process in place for the allowance/ disallowance of contracts where the NHL and NHLPA makes that decision. Should one party disagree on the allowance/ disallowance, a grievance would be filed and the hearing would be expedited so that it could be settled within about 48 hours. If disallowed, the player’s status would simply revert back to what his status was prior to the signing of the disallowed contract.   


Quick Quotes:

"(Vanek) knows where to be. He knows how to score. He's a game-breaker. It's fun for me, having a chance to play with a guy like that." 

- Daniel Briere of the Buffalo Sabres on linemate Thomas Vanek.  Briere set up both Vanek goals in his first NHL preseason game. (Buffalo News)

"At the end of the first period, it got so intense Jason Blake and Oleg Kvasha almost got into it. Ollie's so big, I'm not sure Blakie could have reached his mug even if he tried."

- Brad Lukowich in his training camp journal on the intensity of the first intrasquad game for the NY Islanders (newyorkislanders .com).
 
"I think we did that a year in advance and we didn’t get any credit for it."

- Doug Risebrough on why the Wild didn't make any high profile free agent acquisitions.
 
"We’ve got to find out about these guys.  They should accept that responsibility. Clearly we had to follow through what we said five years ago, and figure out what they can do and give them that chance.  Opportunity is a great thing, you have to give a person a chance.  This organization really hasn’t been disappointed many times when people have been given an opportunity.  Players like Darby (Hendrickson) & Wes Walz were given opportunity have taken advantage of it.  Now we’re hoping the same thing happens now with the players that have been in our system."

- Doug Risebrough on relying on talent developed in the organization rather than looking to add more free agents to the Wild roster.

In his first official NHL scrimmage Matt Koalska scored to cut the lead on a 2-on-1 break. Rookie defenseman Mike Jarmuth found Koalska in the right slot and he buried the shot under the cross-bar past goaltender Wade Dubielewicz. Unfortunately Koalska's Group C is winless in the intrasquad scrimmages thus far. Following the second day of practice the team did a little team building, including karoke with the rookies being forced to belt out a few, whether they could sing or not. Koalska will not play Friday night in the Blue/White scrimmage game in Yarmouth; Wyatt Smith will play for team White, Mark Parrish and Jason Blake will play for the Blue. Koalska could be reassigned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers as soon as this weekend.

Keith Ballard will not play against the Wild Friday night but will suit up at home for his first game as a pro Saturday night as the Coyotes face the Wild in St. Paul.  Jeff Taffe is set to play in both preseason matchups against the Wild with Brett Hull only playing Saturday as well.  Hull and former Wild defenseman Sean O'Donnell were named alternate captains by Wayne Gretzky.  David Tanabe will not play in either game against Minnesota with Gretzky preferring to wait to test his surgically repaired knee until after a few more days of camp.

Jake Taylor, in his first camp with the New York Rangers, has been paired with Dale Purinton during camp.

Former Hobey Baker winner Junior Lessard was placed on Team C in Dallas Stars training camp with a group of players the least likely to crack the NHL lineup.  Lessard is most likely to play in Des Moines with the AHL expansion Stars this season.  He could be assigned there as soon as this weekend.

Zach Parise has been skating on a line between Jamie Langenbrunner and Jay Pandolfo in Devils' training camp.

From the Buffalo News' Tim Graham, the Sabres' beat writer:  At Tuesday night's scrimmage, winger Thomas Vanek brought the fans to their feet with a spectacular penalty-shot goal against Martin Biron. Vanek slipped the puck back to his skates, then kicked it back to his blade before putting it in the net. (Buffalo News)
 
Vanek is second on the Sabres in scoring in practice with a goal and two assists.  Rory Fitzpatrick leads all Sabres with three goals and an assist.  Vanek's Red team will meet Chris Drury's White team for the camp championship.

Former Bemidji State forward Brendan Cook has signed with the ECHL Reading Royals.  In four years with the Beavers he scored 65 goals and 47 assists for 112 points with 52 penalty minutes in 136 games played.

Travis Richards will celebrate ten years in Grand Rapids this season.  He is the sole remaining original member of the team which was founded as an expansion club of the defunct International Hockey League merged into the AHL in 1999.  It is most probable that he will be featured on the bobblehead to be given out in late March.  The fans will vote for the Griffins personality they most want on the doll.

Luke Curtain has signed with the Fresno Falcons of the ECHL. 

TJ Caig has signed to play in the Netherlands this season with the Nijmegen Emperors.  He joins Mankato State's Kyle Nixon and Steven Johns on the team.

Aaron Fox will play with EHC Frieburg in Germany this year.  He was formerly signed with the Hamburg Freezers.

Josh Langfeld is skating on a line with Mark Smith and Devin Setoguchi in the San Jose Sharks training camp.  He scored a goal in his first scrimmage of training camp.  He has a good opportunity to finally start the season with an NHL club this year.  The 28-year-old was married this summer.

Karl Goehring, who did not receive an offer from the Columbus Blue Jackets, will be the netminder for Jokerit Helsinki in Finland this year. 

Bobby Clarke probably isn't sleeping too well these days, first he lost Derian Hatcher to a knee injury suffered during the US Olympic Orientation camp, then Peter Forsberg underwent surgery to remove a bursa sac from his ankle.  Now Sami Kapanen will miss several weeks after undergoing surgery to repair an injured shoulder.

All fans attending preseason NHL games will get a chance to see a shootout whether the game is tied or not.  The NHL has asked all teams to put on a demonstration of the shootout, which will be used to decide the outcome of all tie games in in the regular season.

Some WIld season ticket holders are upset that the Minnesota Wild is giving people waiting in line to buy single game seats free items (coffee, doughnuts, pizza, t-shirts, sweepstakes entries and especially access to a practice).  Season ticket holders who left deposits with the Wild after the cancellation of the season in February received 7% interest on the funds from February to September, $300 worth of gift certificates for the Xcel Energy Center, free opening night tickets, and an entry to a block party opening night.  Several long time season ticket holders are upset the Wild haven't done more for them to make up for the lockout season and see the free items given to single-game purchasers as something they should receive as well.  Of great contention is access to a training camp practice, which most NHL teams have allowed the public to watch.

Former Wild big man Steve McKenna, who played in Australia earlier this year, has signed to play in Italy with HC Alleghe for the remainder of the year.

 
Quick Speculation:

Keith Ballard, Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek are most likely to start the season with their respective NHL clubs this season.
 
There is little doubt that Gopher forward Danny Irmen will give up his final season of eligibility with the University of Minnesota to sign with the Minnesota Wild.  Irmen is likely to receive a package close to the maximum for his draft level.

Look for the Minnesota Wild to partner with the ECHL Texas Wildcatters as an AA affiliate this year.  The Wild's former affiliate, the Louisiana Ice Gators, went belly up after their last season.


Quick Quotes:

"Everyone wants to make a good impression at camp. I really don't feel any pressure, nor am I putting it on myself. This first week is to get your legs back, working on your timing and get back on the ice. Everyone is trying as hard as they can to perform their best.  I just plan on playing my normal game during the preseason. If I score two goals, that's great. If I don't and play well, that's fine too."

- Thomas Vanek on playing in his first NHL training camp
 
"I would be disappointed if I didn't make the big club. I liked Rochester a lot last year, but this is where I want to be. If it doesn't work out and I am sent to Rochester, I will just have to work hard to get back up.  I think last year was very good for my in Rochester. I was able to acclimate to the speed of the game and become a better pro player. I think I was able to accomplish both of those things."

- Vanek on his hope to make the Sabres roster this season

“Of the four major sports, guess which one is Ringo. Hockey didn't realize the power of the other sports. Now they do.” 

- Marketing expert Ernest Lupinacci, a partner at Anomaly. (USA Today)

"Obviously we lost Nieder(meyer) and there is no replacement for the best defenseman in the league.  But Paul could become one of those guys. He has the skills and plays that style."

- Patrik Elias on Paul Martin (Newark Star-Ledger)
 
"Coaches like some players and not others. My last one didn't like me so much.''

- Tyler Arnason on former head coach Brian Sutter. (Chicago Sun Times)
 
"During the lockout I did a lot of things with my oldest that you can do in Minnesota and can't do elsewhere. I was finally able to be a dad. I knew I couldn't give the effort I would have needed to give on the ice, and it wouldn't have been fair to anyone. I didn't want to just hang around."

- Trent Klatt on his decision to retire rather than play out his final year of his contract with the LA Kings (LA Times)
 
"We're looking for him to be a major offensive threat this year.  He's a key versatile player. We'll need him to provide a lot of offense for us."

- John Hynes, the Under-18 coach on Mike Carman, Apple Valley native and Gopher prospect (Redline Report)
 

Matt Koalska is centering a line between NY Islanders prospects Masi Marjamaki and Luch Aquino in the Isles' training camp in Yarmouth Nova Scotia.  The camp has been divided into three groups.  Koalska is with Wyatt Smith in Group C, which did not scrimmage on the first day but took the ice at 9am Wednesday morning.  Koalska is one of four Minnesota boys at Isles camp and he sat next to Jason Blake on the flight to Canada.  Mark Parrish flew in late Monday after signing with the team. 

Byran Lundbohm and Colin Peters have been signed as free agents by the Houston Aeros, the affiliate of the Minnesota Wild. 

The Florida Everblades signed defenseman Sean Curry to a one-year ECHL contract.  Curry spent the last two seasons in the American Hockey League as part of the Carolina Hurricanes' system but was not qualified by the Canes. 

Grant Potulny is taking part in his first official NHL training camp with the Ottawa Senators.  The players reported for medicals on Tuesday and began practices on Wednesday.  Potulny signed with the Sens shortly after the Gophers were eliminated from the NCAA playoffs his senior season but due to the lockout he has not been to an NHL camp yet.  While Patrick Eaves and Brandon Bochenski were placed in Group 1, who Byan Murray said are the players most likely to play in Ottawa this season, Potulny was placed in Group 2 with Neil Petruic and Joe Cullen.  Murray was quoted in the Ottawa Sun as saying that while the players in the second practice grouping were not as likely to make the NHL roster there was still a chance; "if anybody in the second group is going to move up, they're going to have to earn it," Murray told the Sun. 

According to the NHLPA Matt Cullen raised over $240,000 for "Cully's Kids", the charitable foundation he created with his wife Bridget.  The event Cully's Kids Celebrity Weekend, was held on July 15-16 in Fargo, North Dakota.  In attendance were several NHL players including Mark Parrish, Jason Blake, Trent Klatt, Richard Park and former Olympian Dave Christian.  The event, which featured golf, a poker tournament and concert, is expected to become an annual fundraiser. Go to the Cullen Childrens Foundation website for more information on how you can help Cullen's organization.

Jon Adams, who though drafted by the Buffalo Sabres was not signed by them prior to the deadline, meaning he is now a free agent, is still of interest to the team.  He is currently participating in training camp with the Sabres with former Gopher Thomas Vanek.  Vanek is currently matched on a line with Daniel Briere and JP Dumont in camp.  Vanek scored during the first day of camp scrimmages, and set up Dumont on another goal.
 
According to the Buffalo News North Dakotan Paul Gaustad may be one of a few Sabres who may be lost to waivers this year.  Gaustad, Jason Pominville, or the NHL players they supplant on the Buffalo roster, will have to clear waivers to be reassigned to Rochester, meaning it is likely they will be claimed, especially with the new rule requiring the waiving team to foot the bill for half their salary.

Zach Parise and Erik Rasmussen are among 6 New Jersey forwards competing for 4 open roster spots.

Several scenes in the soon to be released movie North Country, starring Charlize Theron feature hockey players from Minnesota as extras.  A High School hockey game played at the Eveleth Hippodrome is part of the movie.  Jeff Johnson of Fayal Township is the hockey double for the actor who played Sammy.  Also included in the movie is a bar scene with characters watching a St. Cloud State hockey game.

Wild prospect Mark Rooenem was seen hobbling on crutches outside Xcel Energy Center yesterday.  According to the Wild he has a charley horse and is day-to-day.

The Wild's Doug Risebrough said during the media luncheon that the real competition for roster spots will be amongst 5 players, Kyle Wanvig, Rickard Wallin, Erik Westrum, Stephane Vellieux and Mikko Koivu, with three of those players earning a full-time NHL job.  He also said that the Wild's defense will remain virtually the same as last season with Daniel Tjarnqvist and Scott Ferguson as the only additions.  Willie Mitchell, Nick Schultz, Andrei Zyuzin, Philip Kuba, Brent Burns and Alex Henry are the returning blueliners.


The Minnesota Wild announced a season-ticket renewal rate of 95% for the upcoming season.  According to Steve Griggs of the Wild, the greatest turnover was in the lower bowl corners, as is usually the case.  Those sections also saw heavy turnover after the installation of safety nets.  The Upper Bowl has the lowest rate of attrition with approximately 99.9% renewing their seats in the lowest priced sections.  Among the 6,500 members of the Warming House waiting list only about 50% of those offered seats accepted the opportunity.  The majority of people on the waiting list only wish to purchase, or can only afford, uppder deck seating, which doesn't become available often.  Most upper deck seating that does become available is offered to current season ticket holders first during the select-a-seat process, leaving even fewer options for people on the waiting list wanting tickets that cost less than $30 each, leading to the low conversion rate.

Former UW Badger goaltender Mike Richter is a candidate for analyst for the OLN broadcasts of NHL games this season.

NHL Retirements this year:  Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Trent Klatt, James Patrick, Scott Stevens, Al MacInnis and Stephane Quintal.

 
Interesting CBA Facts:

If an NHL contract signed and in force under the previous CBA includes performance bonuses or signing bonuses, the amount of those bonuses will be applicable toward a team's salary cap for this season, minus the 24% rollback.  So if a player received a $250,000 bonus for scoring more than 20 goals, and they score 25 goals, their club will have $190,000 applied toward their salary cap.
 
The rollback to bonuses includes rookie players who had their signing bonus structured to pay out over multiple years.  That means that young players, who have yet to play an NHL game, are not members of the NHLPA, are still forced to give back 24% of their signing bonus.

There is a performance bonus cushion built into the current agreement, however.  An NHL club may exceed the cap by an average value of 7.5% if the overage is from performance bonuses.  If all those performance bonuses are realized and paid then the NHL will suffer the penalty of having their salary limit lowered by that amount the following season.  So if a team exceeds the cap by $100,000 due to realized performance bonuses, their upper cap will be reduced by $100,000 the next year. 

Teams are also allowed to exceed the salary cap should a player suffer a long-term illness or injury, causing the club to add another player to the roster.  Meaning, in a sense, salaries paid to players on injured reserve are not applicable to the salary cap.

Should a contract place a team above the average upper limit of salary, that contract will be nullified.

Teams are limited to the amount of time players can practice during training camp per terms of the CBA.  Rules for training camp and practice include:  Training camp cannot last more than 20 days; No exhibition games can be played within the first two days of camp or immediately following three consecutive dates in which a player has played in exhibition games; No team can play more than nine exhibition games; The first day of camp cannot last longer than five hours including medical testing, physicals and photographs; During the first five days of camp players cannot participate in more than three hours of practice on or off-ice combined.

Under terms of the old CBA home teams pocketed virtually the entire gate for playoff games.  Under the new CBA 30-40% of those revenues will go toward a revenue sharing escrow.


Quick Corrections:

In the last Quick Facts it was erroneously reported that the Nashville Predators were giving away a free car to fans at every home victory.  It is the Atlanta Thrashers, and not the Preds, who are awarding the new cars as part of their "Blueland" and "True Blue Fan" campaign.
Buffalo is said to be listening to offers for Hobey Baker-winning goaltenders Ryan Miller or Mika Norenen.  The Wild don't have much depth at goaltender and with both Dwayne Roloson and Manny Fernandez unrestricted free agents next summer the Wild might be players in that negotiation.

In the last Quick Facts in the Quick Take section, I also misquoted Darren Sharper of the Vikings.  The actual quote should read "If you didn't think I'd look good in purple how do you like me now?"  and he said the line in pre-game warmups not after he scored the touchdown.


Quick Quotes:

"My first day of camp was great. I was in awe when I came to the rink and was sitting next to Yashin!  Just taking it all in."

- Matt Koalska on his first day of his first NHL camp with the NY Islanders.
 
"Not going to camp hasn't set in yet, but it will soon I am sure"

- former Edison netminder Derek Herlofsky on not taking the ice for hockey training camp for the first time after retiring this summer and taking a job working with Rob Stauber.
 
"He improved throughout the whole year and was a gamebreaker for them"

- Buffalo Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff on Thomas Vanek's play in Rochester last season (Buffalo News).
 
"He could be a good player with either myself of Chris Drury.  I think he is the type of player that we get along well with on the ice."

- Daniel Briere on Thomas Vanek (sabres.com)
 
"I want to establish myself being on the ice and being a part of the team first.  I'll try to establish myself as the go-to guy sometime in the future."

- Thomas Vanek on his role with the Sabres (Rochester Democrat Chronicle)
 
"We can't wait. Sushi, asahi and hockey. What a combination! You gotta love the places this game can take you."

- Shjon Podein on departing for Japan with his wife and daughter to play and coach with the Nikko Ice Bucks. (ESPN.com)
 
"That's just part of the business.  I put that behind me right now. My goal now is to win the New York Islanders a Stanley Cup. I hope that's everybody else's goal"

- Mark Parrish on ending a lenghy contract battle with the Islanders just prior to the start of training camp. (NY Newsday)
 
"Everything is going to be new, so there will be a lot of learning.  But Schoeny (Jim Schoenfeld) has been through a lot of different scenarios and Ulfie (Ulf Samuelson) should be good to work with. It's a great situation being able to stay in Hartford because I have strong feelings for the Wolf Pack, but it's a whole different mind-set. Now I'm looking at a 19-year-old and trying to project where he might fit in a few years down the line."

- Ken Gernander on his first year not playing hockey but coaching instead. (NY Newsday)
 
"It's a good opportunity from a personal standpoint, absolutely.  They are trying to mold things and keep a core group together. I don't know if they are trying to do what Tampa Bay did, but I can certainly relate in a lot of ways. I'm really excited to be a part of the Capitals because I know what's possible. I've been there; I've seen the process work. The Capitals have a direction and a clear goal in mind."

- Ben Clymer on his chance to have a bigger role than the third and fourth line checking role he was relegated to in Tampa Bay. (Washington Post)


Hockey & Hurricanes
Part 5:

The Mississippi Sea Wolves have requested a voluntary suspension of operations for this season, returning to play in the 2006-07 season.  All members of the Wolves organization were reached and all are safe, but most members had homes severely damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.  The Sea Wolves' arena was flooded under at least 7 feet of water and would not be able to be repaired in order to begin play on time this season, and the fan base was dessimated by Katrina.

Josh Olson, who has spent the last few years in the Florida Panthers' system, was signed as a free agent by the AHL Houston Aeros.  Olson scored in his first NHL game with the Panthers, his only point in 5 games in Miami.  Olson was born in Grand Forks but grew up in Roseau, where he helped lead the school to the State Championship.  He was recruited by Minnesota, Michigan Tech and Michigan before choosing to play in the WHL instead of going to college.

Former Wild defenseman Brad Brown has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He finished the 2003-04 season with the Buffalo Sabres.

Former Gopher Nick Angell left Tuesday for Sweden to play professionally overseas for the Bofors Bobcats in the Allsvenskan.  

Former Wild prospective netminder Frederic Cloutier has signed with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.

Lino Lakes' Ryan Flynn, widely rumored to be pursued by Coach Don Lucia and the Golden Gophers, scored just 49 seconds into the U-18 US National Team second game of the season, one-timing a pass from Chris Atkinson .  Erik Johnson, a Gopher recruit, also scored in the second period as the US National Team defeated the Mahoning Valley Phantoms 6-0 in NAHL league play.  The game completed the weekend sweep for the US team who opened the season with a 5-3 victory over the Phantoms. 

Kyle Nosan has signed with the CHL Lubbock Cotton Kings.  Nosan, a 6'1" 205-pound native of Baudette, Minnesota, completed his college tenure last season at Division III University of Wisconsin - Superior producing his best season with 45 points off 14 goals and 31 assists to rank second on the squad. He leaves UWS ranked 16th on the program's all-time scoring list with 42 goals and 83 assists (10th best on the program's all-time assist list) for 125 points. The three-time Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) All-Academic Team member served as the Jackets Team Captain his junior and senior year and claimed All-NCHA and All-WIAC (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) accolades in each of the two seasons. Nosan claimed Second Team All-American honors as a senior and received the Max Sparger Award as the WIAC's Male Scholar Athlete of the Year while studying Criminal Justice. He was part of the 2002 NCAA Division III National Championship team at UWS. Prior to UWS, Nosan spent a pair of seasons playing junior hockey in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Lincoln Stars (98/99) and the Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks (98/99 - 99/00), where he combined for 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 103 games.(Lubbock Cotton Kings)
 
Former UND player Chad Johnson was named head coach of the Fargo-Moorhead Jets of the NAHL.

Keith Ballard reported to Phoenix this season quicker and stronger than he has been thanks to an intensive summer effort.  Ballard will be trying to earn a spot on the Coyotes roster, not an easy task with 6 veteran blueliners ahead of him.

More than 10 AHL veteran players have defected to Europe because of the new waiver rules contained in the new NHL CBA. There hasn't been this large of a North American defection to European hockey leagues since the folding of the IHL and the failure of its many teams.  The supposed intent of the new rule was to prevent teams from circumventing the NHL cap but, in effect, the NHL created an AHL salary cap of $75,000 for players on two-way contracts.

Former Miami Sun-Sentinel Panthers beat writer Michael Russo has been hired by the Star Tribune to cover hockey and the Wild.  Tom Jones the first Wild beat writer for the Minneapolis paper returned to his original beat in Tampa Bay covering the Lightning.  The Strib then brought in Chris Snow who left to return to New England.  They have been without a regular beat writer for the Wild and professional hockey for a year.  Russo will bring a professionalism and a thoroughness to the coverage of professional hockey the paper has lacked for decades.

Several Minnesota players will be taking part in their first NHL Training Camps beginning Tuesday, including a large group who were denied that opportunity last season due to the lockout.  Matt Koalska (Islanders), Troy Riddle (Blues), Junior Lessard (Dallas), Grant Potulny (Ottawa), Keith Ballard (Phoenix), Jake Taylor (Rangers), Thomas Vanek (Sabres), Zach Parise (Devils), Mark Stuart (Bruins), Dustin Byfuglien (Blackhawks), Barry Tallackson (Devils), Colin Stuart (Thrashers), Adam Berkhoel, Andrew Alberts (Bruins) are all in NHL camps for the first time.

Newly signed Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Todd Rohloff has reportedly recovered from an injury that knocked him out of the 2004-05 season with the Rochester Americans and is the favoured candidate as the 6th defenseman with the Bolts.

Minnesota's Paul Holmgren will be relied upon by Bobby Clarke this season to help decide which of his numerous prospects he oversaw in the Flyers' minor league system last year will help fill in early gaps on the Philly roster and which prospects are ready to make the jump to the NHL.  Clarke likely had to be coaxed off the roof recently after learning two of his high-priced, highly touted free agent acquisitions, Kevin Hatcher and Peter Forsberg, will not be available for training camp.  Hatcher injured an already wonky knee in Colorado at the Olympic Orientation Camp and Forsberg had yet another surgery on his ankle to clear an infection.

John Adams, who became a free agent after the Buffalo Sabres chose not to sign their draftee is still unsigned for the season.

Also remaining as a free agent is former Gopher and Wild forward Darby Hendrickson.
 
Eagan's Cody Blanshan was invited to the main Chicago Blackhawks training camp as a tryout after playing well with the rookies in the prospect camp for the Hawks.
 
Quick Bits:

Not only are the Atlanta Thrashers facing a much more promising season but their fans will also have the chance to win a new car with every Thrashers home victory this season. 
 
One lucky fan of the Colorado Avalache will win a new house this season.  The house in Commerce City, in a development by Amber Home, is part of a major giveaway plan by the Avs to help win back fans.  Also being given away are a big screen HGTV, 10 roundtrip tickets on Frontier Airlines, and a custom-made Avalanche Harley Davidson chopper. Other prizes include a custom-made Avalanche Harley Davidson, an Avalanche "assistant coach for the day" package, 10 roundtrip flights on Frontier Airlines, a trip for two on the Avs' team charter, a one-week ski vacation in Vail and an Avs luxury suite and dinner for 10 at Elway's steakhouse.

Some people say that the Twin Cities could eventually bid for a Summer Olympic Games if a new Vikings staduim is constructed, but the stadium is not the key missing component for a chance at hosting the Games, mass transportation is.  Hosting an Olympiad will never happen unless the light rail system is expanded to cover the entire metropolitan area.  Additional hotel space will also be required.


Quick Speculation:

'Quick Facts believes that the Wild may trade Rickard Wallin or Kyle Wanvig prior to the start of the season rather than lose them on waivers if there isn't room for them on the Wild roster.
 
Buffalo is said to be listening to offers for Hobey Baker-winning goaltenders Ryan Miller or Mika Norenen.  The Wild don't have much depth at goaltender and with both Dwayne Roloson and Manny Fernandez unrestricted free agents next summer the Wild might be players in that negotiation.


Quick Quotes:

"In terms of the effect of, for lack of a better term, capping minor-league salaries at $75,000, that was clearly not the intent of the provision but I suppose I'm not surprised by the impact of the provision.  Obviously we'll monitor it and if we're losing really valuable, skilled players at the NHL level because those players choose to stay in Europe, that's something we'll want to t