Golden Gopher defenseman Alex Goligoski will inform the Pittsburgh Penguins of his decision to remain at the University of Minnesota for his senior year or forego that final year of eligibility to sign with the Penguins by July 1st. His meeting with Ray Shero and Cliff Fletcher last week allowed the Penguins' management to let him know where he stood in the organization; how they see him fitting in and what their expectation would be if he went pro. They did not put any pressure on Goligoski either way and said they would be supportive if he chose to return to Minnesota for his senior season. Goligoski said at the time they would let the Penguins know by July 1st so that they can make free agency decisions, some of which are dependent on whether Goligoski is in their fold or not.

Former Gopher defenseman Jake Taylor is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery well and is getting ready to walk down the aisle with Haley Allison, whom he met during his freshman year at Minnesota. She moved to the New York area to play soccer so it worked out well as Jake signed with the Rangers and has been playing in Hartford. The two will wed on July 28th. Taylor will re-sign with the Hartford Wolf Pack on an AHL contract this season, which will allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next season. Taylor's three year career in the Rangers' minor system has been besieged by injury so this year with Hartford under Ken Gernander will allow him to regain some lost ground. The New York Rangers are already near or at their limit for roster contracts so this move allows Taylor to remain in the system. PJ Atherton was signed to a similar agreement by Tampa's AHL affiliate in Springfield last year because they had too many roster contracts.

Ryan Potulny is in Philadelphia this week undergoing a medical evaluation of an ankle issue. It is not considered serious and Potulny hopes any treatment won't delay his training for this season. He is excited at the prospect of playing with Scott Hartnell whom the Flyers just signed.

Players in attendance at the Shjon Podein Children's Foundation Celebrity Party in Rochester included current and former Minnesota hockey players: Paul Martin, BJ Abel, Jake Taylor, Ben Clymer, Mark Parrish, Dan Hinote, Darby Hendrickson, Ben Hankinson, Bryce Lampman, Mark Stuart, Matt Cullen, Mike Stuart, Tom Chorske, Chris McAlpine and Doug Zmolek. Other celebrities and sports personalitites included: Brian Engblom(Versus analyst) , Michael O'Neill (actor), Nicole Sullivan (actor), Steve Shenbaum (actor, comedian), Erik Stohlhanske (actor), Steve Lemme (actor), Jake Schroeder (singer/songwriter), Darrell Thompson (NFL) and Matt Blair (NFL).

Talks for Paul Martin began with Lou Lamoriello of the New Jersey Devils at the NHL Entry Draft and will continue this week. Martin is due for a sizeable raise this season. He can become an unrestricted free agent next year.
 
In conjunction with his annual auction and raffle Erik Westrum will be presenting a Flywheel Crossover Challenge event to benefit the Parkinson's Association of Minnesota. Activities will include. The Endurance Challenge – A skating competition where the winner is the last local hockey celebrity standing on the Crossover Flywheel during an increasingly grueling protocol, Pick up hockey on The Power Plant – Hockey Studio’s Studio Skills Rink, Hockey Skills Competitions in Competitive Edge’s second bay, Autographs and Meet and Greet with Professional Hockey Players and Athletes and more.  The event will be held at Comepetitve Edge in Rogers on Sunday, July 8th  from 2-6pm. Tickets are $10. For more information or to purchase tickets go to cesnetwork.com.

The Minnesota Wild will unveil their new Rbk sweaters in September. The Wild will retire the Green home jerseys and the red will become the home sweater for the Wild with the White remaining the away. The White sweater will reportedly be re-designed, however.
 
Mike Hoeffel's family was delayed in Detroit for several hours on the way to the NHL Entry Draft in Columbus but they did arrive in time for Friday night's first round. Though Mike wasn't selected in the first round he couldn't be more thrilled after becoming New Jersey's first selection in the draft in the second round. Zach Parise is Hoeffel's favorite NHL player so that makes the selection by New Jersey extra special for him.
 
Erik Johnson is about to embark on a whirlwind of travel over the next month. According to his mother Peggy, Erik will be in Michigan July 5-7, in Saint Louis from the 8th-14th, Los Angeles from the 14th -17th, and then joining the Johnson family on vacation in Maui on the 17th. Johnson is expected to begin training with the Blues in Saint Louis in August and will move there permanently in September.
 
Wyatt Russell, son of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, will play hockey for Alabama-Huntsville next season.
 

Quick Speculation:
 
Quick Facts expects Colin Stuart to contend for a roster spot with the Atlanta Thrashers next season. He and former Colorado teammate Brett Sterling had outstanding years with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL last season.

 
Quick Quotes:
 
"Our conversation with Alex was not to put pressure on him to leave school. It was, ‘If you turn pro, here is what we see…’ and if he decided to go back for his senior year, we’re fine with that. But we wanted to know sooner rather than later, and we wanted to know by July 1— and he did not feel that was a problem."

-Ray Shero on his conversation with Alex Goligoski next week.

(courtesy of Rob Rossi - Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
 

After re-signing former Denver standout Connor James to a contract members of the Pittsburgh Penguins management met with Alex Goligoski in the Twin Cities. Quick Facts has learned that the meeting was very informative for Goligoski but that he will make his official decision after mulling over what he learned for a while.  A decision is likely in the next week or so.  The Penguins are also expected to sign Husky Goaltender Bobby Goepfert soon.
 
There is a story that has been posted on that Wild forward Branko Radivojevic and Marian Hossa helped break up a fight in Trencin, Slovakia where a man, reportedly a friend of Radivojevic, was being attacked by a group of neo-Nazi skinheads. The victim was stabbed but reportedly Hossa and Radivojevic broke up the fight and took him to the hospital for treatment.  
 
The Buffalo Sabres have tendered a qualifying offer to star forward Thomas Vanek, retaining his rights, but the two sides will be negotiating a much larger increase over the standard 10% qualifying amount. Vanek, a restricted free agent, is expected to be the target of many offer sheets from other teams willing to give up a couple draft picks for the promising star. It is unknown how high Buffalo is willing to go to match those offers to retain Vanek. One internet rumor has Paul Holmgren of the Flyers as one of the most likely to attempt to sign Vanek, which could give Vanek the possibility of skating with Ryan Potulny, and eventually Austrian countryman Andreas Nodl, who is a draft pick of the Flyers.
Former Wild forward Antti Laaksonen will play in Switzerland next season. He had been relegated to the minors by the Colorado Avalanche at the end of last season.
 
Darby Hendrickson reports that recent Wild signee Andre Lakos may well have a chance to play with the Wild. Hendrickson played with Lakos last season in Austria with Red Bulls Salzburg. Hendrickson has yet to make a decision on his plans for next year.
 
Brandon Bochenski was re-signed by the Boston Bruins to a one-year deal. Bochenski clicked well with former Gopher Phil Kessel toward the end of the season in Boston and especially when the two were matched for the World Championships in Moskow.
 
Shjon Podein's 10th Annual Celebrity Party and Golf Tournament will be held this weekend in Rochester benefitting his Children's Foundation. The party is at Aquarius/McMurphy's includes great music, food, mingling with celebrities, and a silent and live auction. The Golf Tournament will be held on Monday morning. Tickets are $50. Go to Team25.com for more information.
 
Erik Westrum's annual raffle/auction for Parkinson's Association of Minnesota will be held July 22nd at Rascal's in Apple Valley. Raffle tickets are $5 each and prizes include: $100 Cash, Best Buy Gift Certificats, One Night Stay Grand Casino, Outback Steakhouse Gift Certificates, autographed hockey items, hockey equipment and much more!  If you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets you can send and email to Quick Facts.
 

Quick Speculation:
 
The Atlanta Thrashers may allow Mike Vannelli to become a free agent this summer. They currently have Nathan Oystrick, Mark Popovic, Boris Valabick and Trevor Byrne as defensemen who will be looking to make a move from the AHL to NHL sooner rather than later. They also have draft picks Andrei Zubarev, and Toby Engstrom ready to be signed out of Europe and Chad Denney out of the the CHL. Add those prospects to the stable of blueliners the Thrashers already have; Alexei Zhitnik, Niclas Havelid, Garnet Exelby, and Steve McCarthy and there is little room for more blueliners. However, if the Thrashers let Shane Hnidy, Greg De Vries and Andy Sutton leave via free agency the likelihood of Vannelli earning a deal with Atlanta becomes greater.
 
 
 
Quick Quote:
 
"We’ve followed Mike’s development closely and once we get to the appropriate point of this summer, we’ll make a final determination on what his potential role is in our organization and what’s best for Mike and the Thrashers"

- Atlanta Thrashers General Manager Don Waddell on whether they plan on signing former Gopher defenseman Mike Vannelli.
 

Grant and Ryan Potulny are working on plans to roll out a Potulny Brothers Hockey Camp next summer.
 
It has been rumored that the New York Islanders suggested to Kyle Okposo that he should consider leaving the Gophers and playing for the Everett Silvertips Major Junior hockey team to better his development in preparation for the NHL. An NHL source tells Quick Facts that claim is absurd. “Snow is very pro-college. From the beginning he told Kyle he should stay (with the Gophers) as long as he likes," said the source. The Islanders would have certainly signed Okposo had he chosen to leave the Gophers but they weren't going to pressure him to play anywhere else.
 
Kris Chucko's road to the NHL may have just gotten a bit more diffucult. The Calgary Flames have hired head coach Mike Keenan to take over the bench. Keenan is not known for liking college players, though the fact Chucko is from Canada may help mitigate that.
 
Chris Imes was voted to a three-year term as athlete director representative to the executive committee for USA Hockey. Imes is a Birchdale native who also played for the Minnesota Moose and the Blue Ox roller hockey team at Mariucci. He is now head coach of the Chicago Steel and is Jon Waibel's boss.

After several years in the NY Rangers' system Bryce Lampman will play in Finland for TPS Turku next year.

Former Wild prospective goaltender Frederic Cloutier, who won the Colonial Cup with the Rockford Ice Hogs this year, will play in Italy next season for AS Renon.

Andrew Alberts was re-signed by the Boston Bruins to a three-year contract.

Ryan Carter and Joe Motzko were the two Minnesotans who hoisted the Cup in Anaheim. Former St. Cloud State Husky Mark Hartigan will also receive a championship ring.
 
Former UND standout Lee Goren will play next season in Sweden for Skellefteå AIK.
 
Brett Hauer who last year played in the Russian SuperLeague for Lokomotiv Yaroslav will return to the Swiss Elite League and play for EHC Basel next year.
 
Minneapolis native and former North Star defenseman Don Jackson has been named head coach of Eisbären Berlin, replacing Pierre Page who left to take the head coaching position at Red Bulls Salzburg in Austria.
 
Former Wild prospect Cory Larose will play for Ak Bars Kazañ in Russia next season.
 
Former Wild Defenseman Steve McKenna has retired to become head coach of the Australian National hockey team. McKenna spent one season playing in Australia and last season played in Japan. McKenna was the former union representative for the Pittsburgh Penguins and was known as one on the tallest NHL players at the time, measuring 6'8".
 
Russian defensman Georgy Misharin whom the Wild drafted in 2003 will play for CSKA Moskow next season after playing for Dynamo Moskow last year.
 
Former Minnesota Moose and Edina native Mike Muller will not return to EV Ravensburg in Germany next year.
 
Phil Kessel edged Toby Petersen for the Bill Masterson Trophy during the NHL Awards Show. Also honored were Glen Sonnmor and Reed Larson with the Lester Patrick Award.  
 
According to the NHL a CBC broadcast truck overheated and almost caught fire just prior to the network's telecast of the Awards show,which resulted in the need for a replacement truck to be secured. The delay in getting the replacement truck and up and running ultimately caused CBC to go on-air late in some parts of Canada; VERSUS, which had planned to pick up CBC's live feed, had to reconfigure its schedule and aired the NHL Awards Program on tape delay four hours after it was originally planned to air.
 

 

12:54 p.m. CST

Quick Facts has learned that Gopher Forward Mike Carman is academically ineligible to play for the team.  A release from the Sports Information Department is forthcoming. The release from the Gophers is also expected to include information that Kyle Okposo will return to the team next season, saving Minnesota ignominy of losing their top three freshmen from last season.

--------------------------------

Congratulations to former Gopher Thomas Vanek who recently became engaged to his longtime girlfriend Ashley. The couple is expecting their first child in August.

Between Mark Hartigan and Joe Motzko, Tim Boron, Steve Martinson, Matt Gens, Mike Doyle, Jake Moreland, Colin Peters, Matt Hendricks , former St. Cloud State Huskies in the pros are having pretty good championship years; all of them have either won or are playing for a title.

Steve Martinson lead his Rockford IceHogs to the United Hockey League Colonial Cup Championship. It was the last year for the UHL in the market as they will become the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks next season. Martinson, a Minnetonka native and former St. Cloud State & NHL ruffian, has now won 5 championships as coach, the previous four during his tenure behind the bench with the San Diego Gulls of the WCHL. In 49 NHL games Martinson had 244 PIMs. Martinson is expected to be named the new head coach of the Elmira Jackals who will move from the UHL to ECHL next year. Playing for Martinson on the Hogs were Minnesotans Jason Notermann, Matt Gens, Cory Hessler, Mike Doyle, Dan Boeser & Jaisen Freeman as well as former Wild prospective goaltender Frederic Cloutier.

Two Minnesota-connected players won the ECHL Kelly Cup Championship with the Idaho Steelheads, Colin Peters (Eden Prairie & SCSU) and Kyle Peto (MSU Mankato) both hoisted the Kelly Cup, defeating Adam Berkhoel,who had a breakout season as goaltender, and the Dayton Bombers.

Andy Hedlund and Matt Hendricks, Minnesotans playing for the Hershey Bears, are playing for the Calder Cup trophy against the Hamilton Bulldogs, who have not one American on the team and are all Canadian except for one German-born player. Derek Boogaard's play-toy Zach Stortini is playing for the Bulldogs.

Former St. Cloud State Husky Tim Boron and Chris Hartsburg, son of former North Star Craig Hartsburg, were members of the CHL Presidents Cup Championship team with the Colorado Eagles. Hartsburg was knocked out of the playoffs due to injury after only a few games but still claims the title. Two former Huskies, Garrett Larson and Konrad Reeder were traded away from the Eagles earlier in the season so missed out on the championship.

University of Minnesota head coach Don Lucia set a deadline of June 1st for Kyle Okposo and Alex Goligoski to let him know whether they would stay with the Gophers or sign professional contracts. The deadline, however, will likely pass without either having made their official decisions. Goligoski is likely to wait until further into his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery.

The hiring of Kevin Constantine as head coach of the Houston Aeros had as much to do with who he knew on the Wild's staff and the team being the subsidiary of the Minnesota club as the position itself. At last year's NHL entry draft Constantine was approached by a different NHL team about their AHL club but he turned them down. No word yet on who Constantine is considering for his assistants.

The New York Rangers may not have room to qualify oft-injured defenseman Jake Taylor. Each NHL club is only allowed a maximum of 50 contracts. The Rangers will be pushing that limit. The market may be limited for Taylor due to his propensity for injury. Taylor is rehabilitating well from shoulder surgery last month.


Quick Speculation:

Don't be surprised if at or shortly after the NHL Entry Draft former Gopher Ken Gernander is named as head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack. Current head coach Jim Schoenfeld is expected to hand the coaching reigns to Gernander after he spent two seasons as an assistant with the club.


Quick Quotes:

"Kevin pushed me to be a better than I ever thought was possible. My success in the NHL has much to do with him and his coaching. He was hard on his players  but when you saw what his expectations were of himself you didn't question what he asking you to do. One of Kevin's strengths was giving you clear cut solutions to your problem areas on the ice. He would get in your kitchen but he would alwalys have a solution for you and would not just try to rip you. Also he rarely would discuss your personal hockey deficiencies in front of the team. Mostly it was just you and him in his office. For me having a solution and not ripping you in front of your peers was something that I respected. "

- Former Gopher and NHL player Tom Pederson on playing under Kevin Constantine in Kalamazoo and San Jose.

 

Dave Iannazzo played last season with the Cardiff Devils of the British Elite League. He was referred to the Devils by Jon Cullen who once played with the club in Wales.
 
Edina's Dan Carlson finished the year with Coventry Blaze who won the Champions Cup and Elite League regular season Championships. He is slated to play for the Blaze again next season.
 
George Awada was the captain of the Belfast Giants last year. During the season he wrote a column called "The Captain's Table", the last installment from March can be found here.
 
Adam Berkhoel is 3-1 with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in his last four games in the Kelly Cup playoffs with the Dayton Bombers. He will face Idaho for the championship starting this week with teammates, Trevor Frischmon, Joe Cullen, who had a Kelly Cup Playoffs leading four-game goal streak from Apr. 30-May 8 and Justin Maiser, Cullen's linemate.
 
The Dayton Bombers lead the Idaho Steelheads 1-0 in Game one of the Kelly Cup Finals late in the third period until Eden Prairie's Colin Peters set up Francis Wathier for the game-tying goal for Idaho.  Dayton's Trevor Frischmon of Ham Lake answered with a late goal, his third tally of the playoffs, giving the Bombers the 2-1 victory.
 
Mike Hoeffel, who will play for the Gophers next season, is getting ready to join other prospects for the NHL Draft Combine next week.  Hoeffel is expected to be a first-round pick this year in Columbus. He has impressed trainers and doctors with his commitment to rehabilitation and is far ahead of schedule following surgery to repair a torn ACL.
 
Steve Martinson's Rockford Ice Hogs have been pushed to a Game Seven for the Colonial Cup Championship by the Kalamazoo Wings. The K-Wings whipped the Hogs 6-2 in Game Six, scoring four unanswered goals. The Hogs' defensive combination of Dan Boeser and Matt Gens are the top two point producers in the postseason among all defenseman in the UHL. Combined, they have 2g-10a-12pts. The deciding game will be held Thursday night. Fredric Cloutier, a former Wild prospective goaltender, is backstopping the Hogs.
 
The Minnesota Wild are exploring their options in hosting one of the World Junior tournaments awarded to USA Hockey this month, but arena dates may play a factor, according to Bill Robertson.

Reg Berg's Florida Everblades were knocked out of the Kelly Cup playoffs by Adam Berkhoel and the Dayton Bombers in the conference finals after a hard-fought 7-game series.  Berg was only able to play two playoff games due to injury and recently had surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Berg, a member of the Everblades since 1999 has been on the verge of retirement several times but his health may finally force him to hang them up this summer.  Berg became the Everblades' all time leading scorer this year.  All indications are that Berg will retire, but he may try for one more year, as it will be the 10th Anniversary season for the Everblades.  


Quick Quotes:
 
“I haven’t lost a Game 7 (in the finals), and the nice thing is we’re going home where we’re undefeated and have played fabulous the last couple of games. We’ve got to feed off of that and make sure we’re sharp.”

- Rockford Ice Hogs head coach Steve Martinson (Rockford Register Star).
 

Todd Richards' Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fell to the Hershey Bears in the Calder Cup playoffs. Richards made quite an impression in his inaugural season as bench boss of the Baby Pens. His team had 51 wins this season though he was criticized for his decision to sit Matt Carkner and play Peter Ratchuck during the last three games of the playoffs.
 
Kris Chucko, if he does not make the Calgary Flames' roster next season, will be playing in Quad Cities and not Omaha.  The Flames will move their primary affiliate to The Mark next season.  Attendance was poor the past two years in Omaha, with the AHL club unable to compete with the Omaha Lancers and UNO hockey teams for crowds, despite finishing second in their Division.  The move means that the Quad City Mallards franchise will cease operations.  The UHL club was home to numerous Minnesotans during its history.  The future of the United Hockey League is now in question with several teams folding or changing leagues following this season.
 
The Rockford IceHogs, coached by Steve Martinson, are playing the Kalamazoo Wings for the Colonial Cup Championship of the UHL. Madison's Kevin Ulanski proved to be hero for the Hogs on Sunday with a two-goal outing, helping the IceHogs to a 3-2 series lead for the Championship. This is the last season for the UHL in Rockford which will become an AHL team next season and the affiliate for the Chicago Blackhawks. Martinson will not continue with the franchise.
 
Playing for the Stanley Cup in Ottawa are Minnesota natives Patrick Eaves, son of Wisconsin Head Coach Mike Eaves, and Tom Preissing.
 
The Colorado Eagles of the CHL hold a 3-2 series lead over the Laredo Bucks in the President's Cup Championship finals. Chris Hartsburg, son of former North Star Craig Hartsburg, plays with the Eagles with former UND players Aaron Schneekloth & Brad Williamson and former St. Cloud State Husky goaltender Tim Boron. Hartsburg played in only three post-season gamed for Colorado, scoring three assists, before suffering an injury. Hartsburg was the playoff MVP when the Eagles won the championship in 2005. Boron pitched a shutout for the Eagles.
 
Matt Hendricks scored the final goal for the Hershey Bears, an empty netter, in their 4-1 victory over the Manchester Monarchs as they went up 2-0 in their conference final series. Former Wild prospect Patrick O'Sullivan scored the lone goal for the Monarchs. Hershey demolished Manchester in the first game of the series.
 
The Atlanta Thrashers may allow Mike Vannelli to become a free agent this summer.
 
Former Wild defenseman Ladislav Benysek did not get a contract renewal from HC Sparta Praha for next season.
 
Kelly Fairchild, who has played in Germany the last several seasons, will play for the Vienna Capitals in the Austrian Erste Bank League next year. He follows his former Eisbären Berlin coach Pierre Page to Austria, Page will coach Red Bulls Salzburg next season. Also playing for Vienna next season will be Aaron Fox, who was a leading scorer with HK Acroni Jesenice in Slovenia last year, playing in the Erste Bank league.
 
Former Gopher goaltender Adam Hauser will play for Adler Mannheim in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga next year. Hauser dominated the DEL last year, leading the league in goals against and save percentage for Kölner Haie in the same league last year.
 
Andy Hedlund, who is currently battling with the Hershey Bears in the Calder Cup playoffs, will return to Europe to play for the Düsseldorfer EG Metro Stars. Hedlund returned from Europe to sign with the Ottawa Senators last summer, but was traded to Hershey late in the season. He will be joined by Peter Ratchuk, whom the Wild signed as a free agent last summer but who was loaned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the end of the season.
 
Dieter Kochan, who has had a couple of stints for the Houston Aeros in the Wild system, will retire as a professional goaltender and become an assistant coach with the NAHL Marquette Rangers next year.
 
Randy Robitaille who played one season with the Wild, will play for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl next season after playing this year with the New York Islanders.
 
Former UMD Bulldog Evan Schwabe will play with Pelicans Lahti in Finland next year.
 
AJ Thelen has a goal and seven assists in the Memorial Cup playoffs with the Vancouver Giants with a +11 rating. Thelen was a first round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild but it is unknown whether the Wild will tender an offer to Thelen prior to June 1st.
 
Grant Potulny has recovered almost fully from a freak injury at the end of the season that saw his ring fingertip almost completely severed. Surgery to repair the finger was successful and Potulny has almost full range of motion back in the finger, and is even growing back his fingernail, which the doctors thought he never would.  
 
Quick Speculation:
 
Look for Kevin Cheveldayoff who has been general manager of the Chicago Wolves for years, to be named the General Manager of the Phoenix Coyotes soon. Cheveldayoff has proven himself to excel at assembling dominant teams with a mixture of veteran and young talent. Chris Marinucci won the Turner Cup for Cheveldayoff when the Wolves were part of the now defunct IHL. The Wolves are down two games to none to the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Calder Cup Conference Finals this season.
 
Quick Facts wouldn't be surprised to see the Minnesota Wild make a move for Sean Hill if the Islanders don't make a move to sign the unrestricted free agent. His suspension for violation of the league's performance enhancing substance policy will mean he will miss the beginning of the season, but he could be a valuable, and cheap, asset for anyone willing to sign him. His presence on the blue line for the Wild would go far toward helping players like Belle, Schultz and Burns, especially if as expected the Wild don't re-sign Martin Skoula.
 
Reports are that the Wild are heavily interested in signing free agent Jason Blake, but his $18 million asking price over five years may be too pricey if the Wild need to sign an additional scoring centerman and veteran defenceman, unless they can trade Manny Fernandez rather than buying him out.
 
The Colorado Avalanche may try to trade Jordan Leopold this summer, but only if they can get equal value in return. Leopold missed the majority of the season with several injuries.
 
Former Gopher Troy Riddle is likely to play in Europe next season.  


Quick Quote
“As a matter of team policy, we do not publicly discuss contract negotiations. Kyle’s decision whether or not to leave school to turn pro is a private matter and we are respecting that. Garth Snow is already on the record saying he would never convince a young player to leave school, that the decision is for the youngster and his family to make and we will support them either way. Other than that, the Islanders have no further comment.”

- Islanders spokesman Chris Botta on the status of Kyle Okposo contract negotiations.

 

Alex Goligoski has received his invitation to attend rookie camp for the Pittsburgh Penguins but it is unsure whether he will attend as he is still rehabilitating following shoulder surgery. Should Goligoski decide to stay with the Gopher program he will still likely attend (if medically cleared) but would just have to pay his own way and be unable to participate in some events to maintain his eligibility.
 
Goligoski is one of three Gophers rehabbing after shoulder surgery this spring, Wyatt Smith and Jake Taylor are the others.
 
Rookie coach Todd Richards is facing a tough opponent in the Hershey Bears in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs. Richards' Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are down 3-0 in their series against the Bears. Richards, in a move that surprised many, cancelled a practice the day before Game 4 and took his team bowling. Richards said it was a good chance to recharge and relax and try to get his team back to playing as one. Hershey was the best team in the league during the regular season and has been rolling through the playoffs. While the Penguins have lost by only one goal in the first two games, they have a difficult task ahead to come back in the series. However, if anyone can show a team how its done it is Richards, who was part of the only team in the history of the International Hockey League to accomplish the feat when he played with the Orlando Solar Bears for the conference final against the Detroit Vipers. Jason Blake was a member of that team.
 
Addition: Richards was successful in staving off elimination when his team won in Overtime Wednesday night. Game 5 will be Friday. Matt Hendricks scored for the Hershey Bears in the 3-2 loss. Tom Gilbert had an assist for the Baby Pens.
 
Former Target Center head boss Dana Warg has landed the gig running the home of the Detroit Red Wings and other Ilitch properties in Detroit.
 
Adam Berkhoel of the Dayton Bombers stopped a season-high 59 shots in 4-3 triple-overtime win at Florida in Game 1 of the ECHL Kelly Cup Conference Final.
 
The Chicago Wolves became the first team to reach the conference final in the Calder Cup playoffs. Colin Stuart, playing for the Wolves, has two goals, five assists and a +7 rating in 8 playoff games thus far.
 
The Los Angeles Kings have signed former UND forward Brady Murray to an entry level contract. Murray has spent the past two seasons in Switzerland.

 
 
Quick Speculation:
 
Quick Facts would not be surprised to see the Minnesota Wild enter the sweepstakes for Centermen Scott Gomez, Daniel Briere or Chris Drury this summer. Quick Facts also thinks that the Wild may trade for Wade Redden, or at least attempt to sign Tom Preissing and/or Kimmo Timonen as defensive free agents. They will have some cap room if they don't renew Todd White's and Martin Skoula's contracts and are able to trade Manny Fernandez. They are still saddled with Kim Johnsson's deal, which is a killer, but should still have additional space, especially with the limited contracts of younger players like Benoit Pouliot and Danny Irmen, should they make the big club next year as expected.
 
 
Quick Quotes:
 
“It was a day to get away, not think about hockey and just enjoy each other. (Coming back on Hershey) is going to be about playing for each other, playing for the group. For me, it was getting out for a little bit of a team bonding thing.”

- Todd Richards on cancelling practice and taking his team bowling. (timesleader.com)
 
“It can be done. I’ve done it. I’ve been a part of it.  To me, that series, doing that, accomplishing that, was almost like winning a championship. We lost to Houston in Game 7 for the championship, so it’s not really talked about or remembered much, but it’s an accomplishment I’m really proud to be a part of.”

- Todd Richards on his Orlando Solar Bears coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the Turner Cup Playoffs in 1999. (Citizen's Voice)

Jake Brenk has signed to play with Kallinge-Ronneby IF in Sweden next season. He played this year for Nijmegen Emperors in the Netherlands.

Former UND standout Curtis Murphy will play for the SCL Tigers in Switzerland next season. Murphy played with the Wild's affiliate Houston Aeros this past season.

Dan Welch will not return to HC Morzine-Avoriaz in France to play next season.

Adam Berkhoel of the Dayton Bombers made 32 saves on Wednesday for his league-leading third shutout of the postseason. He is 3-3 with a goals-against average of 2.70 and a save percentage of .911 in six postseason games against Cincinnati and 6-3 overall and sixth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs with a goals-against average of 2.13 and a save percentage of .925. Voted by league coaches as the ECHL Goaltender of the Year, Berkhoel was 5-3-1 with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 2.08 in nine regular-season games against the Cyclones. (ECHL)

As of Friday, Erik Johnson has played all 4 games for Team USA in the IIHF World Championships with no points and a +1 rating. Keith Ballard has 2 assists in 4 games with a +1 rating. Brandon Bochenski and Phil Kessel have been matched with Lee Stempniak for Team USA's most potent forward line. Bochenski has 2 goals and 2 assists and a -1 rating, Kessel has 2 goals and 3 assists with a +1 rating. Toby Petersen has a goal and an assist with a +1 rating while Andrew Alberts has and assist and a +3 rating. Tyler Arnason has an assist and a +1 rating and David Backes has a goal and a +2 rating.

According to the Arizona Republic Peter Mueller is in contract negotiations with the Phoenix Coyotes and is expected to start with the club next season.


Quick Take:

Mark Parrish was asked during a radio interview whether he was asked to play for Team USA at this year's IIHF World Championships. He responded that he was, but that he turned down the invitation. His reasons? That all the players were younger, and he wouldn't have anyone to hang out with, and that the tournament was being held in Russia, a vacation destination not up to Parrish's standards.

This is what is wrong with USA Hockey, the lack of loyalty players like Parrish hold for their national team and the selfishness they exhibit when asked to represent their country in international competition. Where would players like Modano and Parrish be without the Phil Housleys who came before them; players who never said no to USA Hockey? Even Neal Broten came out of retirment in the 90's to help the US qualify for the World Championships in a pre-tournament competition.

This year, several veteran USA players turned their backs on their country. What Team USA is left with a group of young skaters who have all the enthusiasm in the world, and quite a bit of talent, but lack real International experience beyond the World Junior Championships. The IIHF World Championships have always been an afterthought in the United States but thre have always been players like Darby Hendrickson, Brett Hauer and Andy Roach who never turned down their invitations unless injured or involved in other competition. They never made wimpy excuses like "I don't want to go to Russia."

Parrish and all the other players who said 'no' to Team USA Management should be ashamed. The only way these younger players can grow as players and help the US back into the top eschelon of international competition is if they have leaders and role models to help mentor them. Currently the elder statesman on Team USA is goaltender John Grahame, and the oldest skater is Chris Clark!

Of the NHL available players who have donned the red, white and blue jersey before, but chose not to join the squad this spring are, Mike Modano, Mark Parrish, Brian Rolston, Keith Tkachuk, Jason Blake, Aaron Miller, Bret Hedican, Matt Cullen and Craig Conroy. While Quick Facts understands withdrawing from the team due to injury, or family obligations, choosing not to participate because they don't like the location of the tournament or because they don't know many of the players is inexcusable.

Other countries have players who don't hesitate to say 'yes' to their national teams, and their contingents are much stronger because of it. Russians and Finns have to be dragged off the ice kicking and screaming well into their 40's; several of them have more than twelve World Championship tournaments to their credit, including Minnesota Wild defenseman Petteri Nummilen who has represented Finland thirteen times in the World Championships.

Representing your country is not only an honor but a duty, and those selfish players who chose not to play in Moskow this spring should be ashamed of themselves. Team USA has not done better than a Bronze medal in the World Championships for decades. Veteran players who said 'no' to the American team can be held responsible for helping the Americans maintain that record.