Marian Gaborik was held to one shot on net and was a -1 in Slovakia's 3-1 victory over Swtizerland in the IIHF World Championships.  Slovakia will face Canada in the Semifinal round on Saturday.

Former University of Wisconsin Badger Dany Heatley proved hero once again for Team Canada, scoring the OT goal to send Antti Laaksonen and the Fins home in the IIHF World Championships. Nick Schultz had two shots on net, including one in the extra session and was a -1 in the game.  Willie Mitchell went even on the night.  Laaksonen was held to one shot and was scoreless in the game.

Team USA will face Sweden late game Saturday and will be the home team despite finishing lower than Sweden in the rankings.  The US and Sweden met once already in the tournament and with Sweden as the home team so according to IIHF statutes and by-laws the USA will be the home team for the Semifinal round.  Sweden topped the US in the previous game 3-1 and will have the services of Peter Forsberg in this round as he joined his national team after the Avs were eliminated from the playoffs.

Richard Park dropped into seventh in scoring in the tournament thanks to great games by Finland's Ville Peltonen and Canada's Dany Heatley.  Peltonen now tops all scorers with 10 points on 4 goals and 6 assists.  Heatley is second with 9 points, 7 goals, 2 assists. Thomas Vanek remains tied for 10th in scoring despite Austria being knocked out of the tournament in the second round.

Reg Berg and the Florida Everblades are hoping to use a 5-day layoff, courtesy of Disney On Ice's Monsters Inc show, before their next Eastern Conference playoff game to regroup.  The Blades took a 2-0 best-of-five series lead into Reading but dropped two games in a row to return home tied with the Royals. The Royals have won four elimination games since the Kelly Cup Playoffs began April 5, starting with a 2-1 win over Johnstown in the Northern Division wild card game as the No. 5 seed. The Everblades never have won a playoff series elimination game in their six-year history. Reading's line of Graig Mischler, Kent Davyduke and Judd Medak combined for five goals and eight assists in the last two games

Rick Mrozik and the Rochester Amerks have jumped to a 2-0 series lead in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs against the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Amerks took game two on Thursday by a score of 4-1.

Jordan Leopold wore the Calgary Flames Green Hardhat as the team's unsung hero only once during the regular season, after the Flames' 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild February 15th.  The hat is only awarded after wins and the player who is awarded the hat keep it at his locker or in his bag if the team is on the road. Anytime he has a media interview, he is to wear the hat.

Wyatt Smith had two assists in the Milwaukee Admirals 5-2 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Friday night.  He also added a fighting major in the game which basically broke down into a melee in the last 30 seconds after Milwaukee scored an empty net goal, with no less than 14 players involved, including Milwaukee goaltender Wade Flaherty.  Libor Pivko was the star of the game scoring a hat trick and adding two assists, meaning he was involved in every goal for the Ads.  The Ads now hold a 2-game advantage in the series.

The University of Minnesota Blueline Club is presenting the 31st annual John Mariucci Golf Open, to be held at Majestic Oaks Country Club on Monday, June 14.  The tournament raises money exclusively to benefit the Golden Gopher Hockey program.  The golf entry fee is $150.00, $50 of which is tax deductible. Following golf will be a social hour and dinner buffet for all participants. Awards and prizes will be presented throughout the evening and Coach Don Lucia will make brief comments at the dinner. Tee and hole sponsorships are available and the tournament will have a maximum field of 200 paid registrants. Please contact Gary Heinrich at (651) 739-9676 for more information or an entry form.

Coleraine native Chis Tok has been the assistant coach and assistant general manager for the Warterloo Blackhawks USHL club for three seasons.  The former UW Badger helped his club celebrate the USHL Championship Clark Cup after defeating the Tri-City Americans 2-1 in the Championship game.  Tok retired from professional hockey in 2000 after playing with the UHL Missouri RiverDogs. He and his wife Melissa live in Iowa with their baby son Easton.  Blackhawks Head Coach PK O'Handley is a native of Superior, Wisconsin and coached successfully at North Iowa and with the ECHL Florida Everblades before taking the helm at Waterloo.  Minnesotans on the Clark Cup Champion team include:  Jay Cascalenda (West St. Paul), Josh Duncan (Rochester), Adam Dunlap (Minnetonka), Andrew Guyer (Coleraine), Joel Hanson (Elk River), Tim Madsen (Elk River), Garrett Regan (Hastings) and Aaron Johnson (Haywood).

Toby Petersen's Baby Penguins lost 3-2 in overtime to the Philadelphia Phantoms on Friday.  Toby was -1 with three shots on net.   The series is now tied at one game a piece.

ESPN's four-year deal with the International Skating Union starting in November averages $5 million a year. That is down from the just expired ABC contract that averaged $22 million a year to show figure skating.   Gary Bettman and the NHL might want to take note of those figures as the same networks are involved in the broadcast rights for the hockey league.

Goalie coach Warren Strelow hasn't been eble to watch in person his two goalie proteges, Evgeni Nabokov and Mikka Kiprusoff.  The 70-year-old Sharks coach is home in St. Paul, Minn., recovering from a kidney transplant he underwent last September. Strelow stays close to his players. He speaks to Nabokov over the phone at least every other day, discussing everything from technique and strategy to Strelow's memories of a trip to Moscow in the 1970s. Strelow hopes to be able to attend a game if the Sharks make it to the Stanley Cup finals. (some info from AP)

The Dallas Stars downsized their staff by 12 on Thursday, citing the uncertain climate for a new collective bargaining agreement as one of the reasons for the decision.  Stars president Jim Lites said he doesn't expect any more cuts between now and training camp but that the club would evaluate and make decisions based on how the negotiations were going this summer. Lites added that if part of the season is lost, every upper-level manager would take a pay cut. That includes Lites, general manager Doug Armstrong, coach Dave Tippett and his staff and even broadcasters Ralph Strangis and Daryl Reaugh. Officials said the team employed about 85 people before the layoffs. Lites was adamant that eliminating the positions was not motivated solely by the possibility of a work stoppage. He said they were also a result of natural attrition and financial shortfall from a shorter than expected season. Lites said the Stars budgeted for six home playoff games and took a sizeable monetary hit when only two were played. (Dallas Morning News)

Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Perezhogin, a Kazahk forward for the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs, was banished for the remainder of this year's playoffs and the entire 2004-2005 season after a horrifying slashing incident in a game on April 30th. The ban amounts in all to about a year and is an AHL record. During a the playoff game Clevland Barons defenseman Garrett Stafford struck his stick on the back of Perezhogin's helmet and Perezhogin responded with a forceful, two-handed baseball-like swing to Stafford's face.  The blow left Stafford unconscious and suffering convulsions on the ice .  Footage of the gruesome hit was replayed on television news and sports programs throughout North America. Perezhogin was assessed a match penalty on the play and immediately suspended indefinitely, pending league review. Stafford's role in sparking the incident brought him a six-game banishment that will be served at the start of next season since Cleveland was ousted from the playoffs by Hamilton. (AHL)

“It's a pretty special feeling in that room right now,” said winger Judd Medak, “and when we get into (must-win) situations like this everyone believes in each other. We don't think too much about it. We just go out and play. We can just kind of feel the aura in the whole dressing room. It's pretty neat.” - Former UMD Bulldog on his ECHL Reading Royals forcing a deciding game 7 against the Florida Everblades in the Eastern Conference Finals of the Kelly Cup playoffs. (Reading Eagle)

``He was -- he is -- a huge part of what we've achieved in this locker room.  Sometimes you're talking to him and you can just hear in his voice that he wants to be here. I made a joke: 'Somebody said that you're going to cheer for Kipper.' He took it seriously. He said, 'You know that I'm going to cheer for you guys.''' - San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov on Warren Strelow (AP)

With Russia falling to Finland in the IIHF World Championships on Monday, Team USA is guaranteed a spot in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, without having to play a qualification tournament.  The US wholloped Denmark on Tuesday 8-3.  Denmark jumped to an early lead in the first, scoring just 28 seconds into the game.  Denmark went ahead again scoring two goals within 23 seconds after which USA netminder Ty Conklin was pulled and replaced by Alex Westlund.  Erik Westrum scored a goal in the first period.  Matt Cullen had two goals and an assist and Richard Park had a goal and an assist in the game.  Chris Drury, Bates Battaglia, Jeff Hamilton and Jeff Jillson were the other goal-scorers for Team USA.  Defenseman Keith Ballard and Brett Hauer were both held scoreless in the romp.  Aaron Miller finished with a team-high +4 rating.  

On Wednesday The US upset the host Czechs in a shootout victory.  The Czechs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead until Richard Park got the US on the board with a sharp-angle shot in the second on a pass from Matt Cullen.  Erik Westrum evened the score in the third period on one of his team-high five shots on net in the game.  The score remained tied through a 10-minute overtime period so the game went to a shootout.  Cullen whistled one off the crossbar,  Park was stoned by Thomas Vokun and Ryan Malone shot wide; it was Andy Roach who scored the only goal of in the shootout, sending the USA to the semi-finals and the Czechs out of the tournament altogether. The US has not medalled in the IIHF World Championships since 1996 when they rode the back of former Minnesota Moose netminder Parris Duffus to a Bronze.

Richard Park has moved into third place in scoring in the IIHF World Championships with 4 goals and three assists in 7 games. 

Jordan Leopold was on the ice more than any other member of the Calgary Flames on Monday night as they closed out the Western Conference Semifinal series against the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 in overtime.  Leopold had a team high 30:32 minutes of ice time in 46 shifts and tallied three quality shots on goal. 

Leopold, whose Flames had a few days break after clinching the bid for the conference finals, came home to visit his newborn daughter Jordyn, and to celebrate his recent joy with the purchase of a shiny new yellow Corvette.  Leopold must have had a playoff bonus clause in his contract with the Flames.

Not everyone has noticed but following the game the Flames give the player they determine to be the "unsung hero" a green hard hat with Flames decals.  The player must wear the hat during post-game interviews.

Former Gopher Ken Gernander ended the marathon game 4 of the AHL Atlantic Division final for the Hartford WolfPack, scoring, unassisted, 7:49 into the third overtime, completing their sweep of the Worcester IceCats.  Gernander, the Wolf Pack's 34-year-old captain, took a shot from the left-wing circle that IceCats goaltender Curtis Sanford got a piece of, but it trickled over the goal line to end the 10th-longest game in American Hockey League history, and the longest for either Worcester or Hartford.  It was the second overtime tally of Gernander's professional career.  He scored the first on May 2, 1994, when he was playing with Moncton.  Worcester had taken the lead in the third period but gave up the equalizer with 34.5 seconds left in the game.  Hartford now awaits the winner of the East Division final between Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins won Game 1 on Wednesday. John Pohl was scoreless in the only three playoff games he suited up for.  He was skating a line with fellow WCHA alums Peter Sejna and Jeff Panzer. Pohl is expected back in the Twin Cities on Monday.

Worcester head coach Don Granato wasn't a stranger to an unlikely comeback, hand it looked like the IceCats might pull out the win on Wednesday.  As coach of Green Bay in the USHL he lead his team to rally from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the St. Paul Vulcans. Unfortunately for Worcester, Granato wasn't able to pull of such a feat again.

The Chicago Wolves had twelve days between the time they eliminated the Grand Rapids Griffins and Wednesday night, when they faced the Milwaukee Admirals in the West Division finals of the AHL.  They can be excused for being a little rusty.  Wyatt Smith scored early in the second period for the Milwaukee Admirals.  Smith scored from his knees in the left faceoff circle. The Chicago Wolves' Karl Stewart answered less than six minutes later to tie the score.  Former UND Fighting Sioux and Hobey Baker award winner Tony Hrkac scored the game-winner for Milwaukee 9:20 into the second overtime to clinch the win.  The Wolves' Kari Lehtonen stopped 56 shots in their first loss of the post-season after sweeping the Grand Rapids Griffins in the preliminary round.  Smith skates a line with rookie Timofei Shishkanov and Libor Pivko .

Toby Petersen notched an assist to help his Wilkes/Barre-Scranton Penguins record a 5-4 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs in game 1 of the AHL East Division final.

Rick Mrozik was a +1 in the Rochester Amerks' 2-0 shutout of the Hamilton Bulldogs in game 1 of the North Division Final.  Mrozik has one goal and one assist for the Americans this post-season.

Kevin Constantine's Everett Silvertips' season came to an end on Wednesday as they were defeated by the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-2 to sweep the Tips 4-0 in the series and clinch the WHL title and berth to the Memorial Cup tournament. 

According to the Buffalo Sabres' Michael Gilbert there is nothing new to report on the Thomas Vanek front.  When asked if Buffalo planned on offering the Gopher star a contract for next season, the response was "he's still in school.  We still control his rights.  There is nothing new there.  Can that change in the next couple of months?  Yes, but we'll have to wait and see how things pan out. At this time he is still in school and there is nothing to report."  The Sabres have not yet contacted Vanek or his family advisor.  When asked for comment on Vanek's performance in the World Championships the reply was "traditionally we do not comment on players or prospects that are not under contract with the Sabres."    Sabres' GM Darcy Regier and other Buffalo scouts are still in Prague attending the World Championships.

Steve Griggs, vice president of sales and service for the Minnesota Wild says that ticket sales for the World Cup of Hockey are brisk and that the Wild expects them to pick up once the rosters for Team USA and Team Canada are announced this July.

Mark Coyle, Assistant Athletics Director for the University of Minnesota reports that the U is looking at upgrading the video displays at Mariucci Arena.  They are currently in negotiaion with multiple companies about video boards.  Look for the University of Minnesota to install flat-panel LED displays, similar to those at Xcel Energy Center, as well as a new center-ice scoreboard and video display.

Darby Hendrickson was a -1, Dan Hinote was even and Kurt Sauer was a -1 for the Colorado Avalanche in their series and season-ending 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.  Tom Preissing was a scratch for the first time for the Sharks, he was replaced by Jim Fahey who hadn't played since March 9 against the Wild.

Former Gopher Erik Westrum's wedding is scheduled for June 26th.  He and his fiancee Kelly Seidl are registered at Marshall Field's.

Ben Clymer has played only three minutes of one game in the post-season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The coaching staff is reportedly disappointed that Clymer has not been playing his physical and agressive style that earned him a position with the Bolts the last two seasons.  Speculation is that the concussion Clymer suffered in November has been the primary reason for the change.

Don't rule out the Buffalo Sabres trading the rights to Thomas Vanek to another team this summer.

Howard Baldwin, who is moving an AHL team to Des Moines, has still not given up hope of returning NHL hockey to Hartford.  The Hartford Courant has confirmed that Baldwin is exploring relocating an NHL franchise to Hartford.  The speculation is that Baldwin will become involved with the Pittsburgh Penguins and bring them to the former home of the Whalers. 

With former Edina resident Brian Burke looking for work several teams have surfaced as possible final destinations for the former Canucks GM.  The best bets are for Burke to end up in Chicago or possibly even New York with either the Islanders or Rangers with both Mike Milbury and Glen Sather rumored to be on the chopping block.  Chicago would benefit the most from Burke's GM skills, and his sometimes caustic personality would be appreciated by Chicagoans.

There are several coaching vacancies in the NHL.  Look for Kevin Constantine's name to come up as a candidate for more than one of them.
Daktronics produced the Minnesota Wild's video scoreboard and "ribbon" displays for Xcel Energy Center in 2000.  The Xcel Center was the first arena to integrate multiple high-resolution video displays, a 360-degree full-color fascia-mounted display, and other large full-color displays to give fans the most entertaining game experience possible. The displays use Daktronics full-color ProStar(R) and ProAd(R) LED technology inside the arena as well as on the exterior of the building. 

In a recent USA Today article it was reported that Dallas' American Airlines Arena, whose investment in Daktronics displays was a reported $6 million when they opened the building in 2002, was paid for by the second season in use.  The Minnesota Wild's original investment has been estimated at $6 million as well.  The Minnesota Wild and Daktronics refuse to disclose exact amounts.  

If Dallas has already seen their system paid off, one can assume that the Wild's original investment has been more than just paid off.  With a sold out building every night the speculation is that the Wild pockets at minimum $2 million a season in advertising revenue from the systems and that figure could realistically be as high as $4 million or more. 

According to the NHL, that revenue is not included in calculations of expense/revenue figures reported by Arthur Levitt, the man commissioned by the NHL to analyze the financial health of the league, which is a major bone of contention with the NHLPA.  The NHLPA has repeatedly refuted the NHL's figures stating that revenue, such as the LED screen advertising revenue, or luxury suite revenue, has been under-reported or not disclosed at all.  Levitt's report is available on the NHL's CBA website.

"It was exciting to watch what those other teams, Carolina, Anaheim and Minnesota, did in the past.  Before the season starts that's motivation. Teams went from not being in the playoffs to making great runs. We said 'Why can't it be us?' - Calgary Captain Jarome Iginla on inspiration for the Flames' push for the playoffs this season. (Calgary Herald)

"Most everything has gone our way," captain Ken Gernander said. "We had a fresh Jason MacDonald and Jeff Heerema coming into this round that gave us a little experience. And when Mac didn't play [in Game 2], we brought in [Ryan] Cuthbert, who is an energy player and gave us one of the biggest goals for a two-goal lead. Those things have been going in our favor, which is good because you need that. Then you keep the game close and need a big goal from somebody, and who do you kind of expect to get it? Jozef. And he does. ... At times we've had to lean on goaltending. You don't want to have to rely on it, but we knew going in we had solid goaltending. That's what I mean about things going our way." - Hartford Wolf Pack Captain Ken Gernander on his team's readiness before Game 4 of the Atlantic Division title and chance to play for the Eastern Conference Championship in the AHL. (Hartford Courant)

When the Calgary Flames scored two goals 18 seconds apart on Thursday night is broke a 14 year old record for fastest two playoff goals.  The previous record was set by Minnesota's Joel Otto and Paul Ranheim who scored 22 seconds apart against Los Angeles.  The Flames lost that game too, by a score of 12-4. 

As previously mentioned by Quick Facts, Edina's Brian Burke will not return as General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks.  The Canucks announced that they will not renew his contract.  Burke was hired by Vancouver in 1998.

John Pohl's Worcester Ice Cats are on thin ice in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.  After Sunday's overtime loss to Captain Ken Gernander's Hartford Wolf Pack they are down in the series 3-0.  Only two teams in AHL history have rallied from the same deficit. Rochester came back to beat Cleveland in a first-round series in 1959-60.  Adirondack came back against Hershey in 1988-89 and went on to win the Calder Cup. Saturday, Pohl played his first game of the playoffs since suffering facial injuries after taking a slapshot in the face on April 10.  The Cats were shutout by AHL MVP Jason LaBarbera 3-0 with Ken Gernander scoring an empty net goal at the end of the game.  Pohl tallied an assist in the 4-3 overtime loss on Sunday night.  Mike Stuart has not played for the IceCats since January.

Karl Goehring, Tim Jackman, Joe Motzko and Mark Hartigan saw their season come to an end over the weekend.  Their Syracuse Crunch fell to the Rochester Amerks in overtime of Game 7 by a score of 4-3.  Syracuse became the 12th team in AHL history to blow a 3-1 series and the fourth to lose the seventh game on home ice.  Rick Mrozik will help the Amerks in their attempt to topple the Hamilton Bulldogs, who won their series against the Cleveland Barons.

Casey Hankinson's 5th seed Cincinnati Mighty Ducks came within one game of upsetting the top-ranked Milwaukee Admirals but the Ads proved too strong, coming back from 2-1 and 3-2 series deficits to win the deciding game 7 on Sunday 5-1.  Wyatt Smith was scoreless for the Ads.

Erik Westrum is posting a journal of his experiences with Team USA competing in the World Championships in Prague.  The journal is available on the Phoenix Coyotes website.  Westy's Team USA held off Russia 3-2 with two controversial goals late in the third.  Ryan Malone, Chris Drury and Dustin Brown scored for the US.  Matt Cullen had an assist in the game adn Westrum racked up 2 minutes in the box on a roughing call.  

Westrum is planning his June wedding via conference call from the Czech Republic.  He is rooming with fellow Minnesotan Matt Cullen.

The US fell to Sweden 3-1 on Sunday.  Keith Ballard earned a high-sticking minor and Westrum chalked up another roughing minor.  Bates Battaglia scored the lone goal for the US, shorthanded.  The US faces Denmark tomorrow. 

There is a nice Q&A with Ballard here: http://live82.ihwc.net/english/article/qa/index.ihwc?&artId=1676

Team USA now has 3 points, good for third in Group F, and remains ahead of Russia and Denmark so has a good chance to finish in the top 8 in the tournament, securing a berth to the Olympics in Turin.

Thomas Vanek had 5 goals and 2 assists for Team Austria, good for second in the tournament and only one point behind top-ranked Jaromir Jagr.  However, Vanek was scoreless and held to just one shot on net in Austria's 5-2 loss to Latvia Monday.  Vanek had two shots in Austria’s 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic, Friday, and registered one shot in Austria’s 3-1 loss to Germany. Reinhard Divis, Martin Ulrich, and Gerhard Unterluggauer were named Austria's top players of the tournament.Sergei Zholtok scored a goal and an assist for Latvia.  The Austrians are eliminated from Quarter-Final contention with the loss, which will send Vanek home in time for finals at the University of Minnesota.  Reinhard Divis, Martin Ulrich, and Gerhard Unterluggauer were named Austria's top players of the tournament.

Jordan Leopold is the 17th ranked defenseman in the playoffs in points with 4 assists, he ranks 14th in ice time averaging 25:41 minutes a game, but tops the list with Dan Boyle in +/1 with a +7 rating all in 12 playoff games for the Flames who are on the verge of a berth to the Western Conference Final.

Kevin Constantine's Everett Silvertips dropped the opener of the WHL Championships on Saturday by a score of 4-1.  The Tips face the Medicine Hat Tigers in game two on Tuesday.

Marian Gaborik had a goal and an assist in Slovakia's 7-0 victory over Denmark on Sunday. He now has 4 goals and 2 assists in the tournament.

Reg Berg's Florida Everblades lead their Eastern Conference playoff series against the Reading Royals two games to none.  Florida has won its last six playoff games, outscoring opponents by a 25-11 margin.  Berg is tied for the Kelly Cup Playoffs lead with 10 assists and is second in scoring with 14 points (4g-10a). Reading's Mat Snesrud is tied for the lead among defensemen in the postseason with two game-winning goals and is tied for second among defensemen with three goals.

NHL rules require a player to have performed in at least 40 regular-season games and at least one game during the championship series in order to have their name engraved on the Stanley Cup.  Ben Clymer played 63 regular season games for the Tampa Bay Lightning but has suited up for only one game in the playoffs, and was on the ice for less than 4 minutes.  However, The NHL has softened its standards in the past.. After the 1994 season, the New York Rangers fought hard to get the names of Eddie Olczyk and Mike Hartman on the Cup even though they fell short of the standards. Detroit got Vladimir Konstantinov's name on the Cup even though he hadn't played a game all season, his career ended in an auto accident a year earlier.  Dallas Stars Brent Severyn, Doug Lidster and Brad Lukowich had their names included in 1999 though they didn't skate in the finals.  There could be an exception made for Clymer if the Bolts win the hockey holy grail because each club is allowed a maximum of 52 names including players, coaches and front office staff.  We'll have to wait and see if Tampa can go that far and whether the former Gopher suits up if they do.

"Keith is really an up and coming defenseman for the Coyotes and he has high expectations with himself and also with his play for Team USA.   I think Keith was a little nervous at first, but Paul [Mara] is a great teammate and has helped Keith at certain times.  Keith is the type of kid who is willing to take advice from players that have played a lot of games in the National Hockey League, but at the same time Keith has showed a lot of poise in the tournament. "  - Former Gopher Erik Westrum on future Coyotes' teammate Keith Ballard in his online journal from the World Championships. (phoenixcoyotes.com)
 

Ottawa Senators scout Ken Williamson died this week of a stomach aneurysm. He was 64.  Williamson died in a Minneapolis hospital Wednesday, the Senators announced Friday.  The Winnipeg native joined the team in August 1999 as the western United States amateur scout. Prior to joining the Sens, he scouted for the St. Louis Blues. Ken is survived by his wife Gale, three children and six grandchildren.  The funeral will be held Monday in Lakeville. (CP)

Kurt Sauer got his first start of the playoffs with the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.  Sauer replaced injured defenseman Robert Blake on the Avs blueline and played over 13 minutes in the Avs first win of the series.  Dan Hinote was stopped cold on two breakaways in the game.  Darby Hendrickson's faceoff prowess continued.  The game marked the first time of the postseason all three Minnesota members of the Lanche were suited up together.

Minnesota's Ben Clymer has played only 3:12 of one playoff game for the Tampa Bay Lightning who will play in the Eastern Conference Final. 

Barry Melrose, ESPN analyst, finally seems to have noticed Jordan Leopold's play with the Flames.  Melrose gave Leo props during intermission of the Lightning game on Thursday night, mentioning how well the Golden Gopher from Minnesota was playing, especially given the absence of several key blueliners for the Flames.

Prior to Friday's game against the Czech Republic Thomas Vanek of Austria was tied on the top scorers list for the World Championships with Martin Rucinsky.  Rucinsky and Vanek went into their head-to-head battle Friday tied with 7 points each. Vanek is listed as hockeysfuture.com's 5th best prospect currently in the NHL system.  For the first time in the tournament Vanek was held without a point when the hometown Czechs defeated Austria 2-0, both goals coming on the power play.

Not wanting to mess with a winning formula Worcester IceCats head coach  chose not to play John Pohl despite the former Gopher being cleared to play after suffering facial injuries after being hit in the face by a slapshot.  The Cats had been victorious in two playoff series without Pohl in the lineup but that formula didn't prove enough against Ken Gernander and the Hartford Wolf Pack Friday night.  The Pack jumped to an early lead in the first and added another shorthanded tally in the second while AHL Player of the Year Jason LaBarbera turned away all but one of the IceCats 28 shots.  Hartford took the game by a score of 3-1.  Worcester went 0-for-8 on the power play.
 

Casey Hankinson and his Cincinnati Mighty Ducks faced the AHLs best regular season team the Milwaukee Admirals, including Hankinson's former Gopher teammate Wyatt Smith.  Hankinson scored a power play goal in the first to put the Ducks up 2-1 but Smith answered shortly after with a tally of his own to knot the score at 2. Milwaukee took the lead in the second with two goals.  Cincinnati answered with a goal before the end of the second stanza but was unable to come back and Milwaukee skated away with the 6-3 win outshooting the baby Ducks 35-23.  Despite their goals both Hankinson and Smith ended up with minus ratings.

Tim Conboy signed a contract with the San Jose Sharks last week.  On Friday Conboy tallied two assists on the Cleveland Barons' first and third goals on their way to a 4-0 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs Friday night.  The game dizzolved into a melee at the end of the third period with even the goalies getting into the act.  22 different penalties were assessed in the third period alone. The victory helped get the Barons back into their Conference semifinal series against the Bulldogs.  Cleveland staved off elimination to set the series at 3 games to 2 with Hamilton holding the advantage.

The NCAA on Wednesday granted a waiver allowing 17- and 18-year-old hockey players at Division I schools to enter the NHL draft in June.  The players would retain college eligibility as long as they don't play for a professional team or hire an agent.  NHL teams can keep draft rights until 30 days after a player graduates from college. The league recently changed its draft eligibility requirements to include players who turn 18 on or before Sept. 15, and those who turn 19 between Sept. 16 and Dec. 31.  Under current NCAA rules, players under 19 would not be eligible for the June 26-27 draft.  The waiver, approved last week by the NCAA's Division I Management Council administrative review subcommittee, applies only for the 2003-04 academic year. The possibility of extending the waiver beyond this year will be discussed at a meeting of a Division I subcommittee on agents and amateurism in June.  NCAA officials believe the waiver will affect fewer than a dozen players for this year's draft. The agreement will not affect any of the Gophers as they are all older than 18. (AP)

Kevin Constantine's Everett Silvertips did it again, against all odds, and down in the series, his expansion WHL club came back from a 3-1 game deficit against the Kelowna Rockets, winning three straight games to earn a berth to the Western Conference Finals and a chance to compete in the Memorial Cup.  If successful, the Tips will become the first expansion team in the history of the CHL to make it to the Memorial Cup. Everett will face the Medicine Hat Tigers for the WHL championship. Constantine was recently named WHL coach of the year.

This isn't the first time Constantine has broken records with a new club.  He founded the Pittsburgh Forge,  Junior A team competing in the North American Hockey League.  As the team's general manager and co-coach, Kevin helped build the Forge into a national power. The Forge finished their first season becoming the first expansion team ever to make the national tournament where they finished as runners-up. In the second season, the Forge set a national Junior A record with 43 wins and won the NAHL's regular season championship.

Don't know if anyone caught the irony but the WHA franchsie that was initially headed to Minneapolis before negotiations with Target Center were terminated following a management change, may be headed to Dallas.  No word on if a team would head for Winnipeg too.

Hockey Gladiator tickets are on sale now but the expected windfall for event entrepreneur Darryl Wolski will come from revenues earned from Pay-per-View TV coverage and sales of DVDs of the two night events.  Wolksi was quoted as saying he has sunk at least a million dollars of his own money into the event.  (Winnipeg Sun)
 

"Magic, I think.  If you wrote a movie and said a team is going to be down 3-1 in a series and win three overtime games, it makes for nice movies, but it's not real life. The fact we actually did that is kind of mystical a little bit. We think we did some good things during the year that gave us that opportunity, but we're kind of shaking our heads in disbelief that we did it the way we did it at the end."  - International Falls native and Everett Silvertips head coach Kevin Constantine on his expansion club earning a chance to compete for the WHL title.

"We could have been more productive on the power play.  We had some chances but couldn't score." - Former Wild Forward Sergei Zholtok on his Team Latvia's shutout loss to the Canadians on Friday. (IHWC.net)

"I don't mind gambling at all, and this is the biggest gamble of my life. It's going to be great or I'll have a gun in my mouth -- it'll be one of the two."  - Hockey Gladiators founder Darryl Wolski on whether he thinks his event at Target Center will be a success.

It's a girl!  For former Gopher and current Calgary defenseman Jordan Leopold and his wife Jamie.  Jordyn Maria was welcomed to this world Sunday morning in Minneapolis.  Just like daddy, Jordyn had perfect timing because the Flames had a two-day break between playoff games against the Red Wings allowing Leopold to be in attendance for the birth of his first child. Leo has 4 assists and is a +6 in the playoffs this season but is scoreless against the Wings.

John Pohl has been cleared by doctors to resume play after missing two series of playoff action for the Worcester IceCats due to facial injuries suffered when he was struck in the face by a slap shot in the final weekend of the regular season.  Pohl's return to action will depend on his level of conditioning according to Cats coach Don Granato. (Worcester Telegram Gazette)

Erik Westrum scored a goal in a 3-3 tie for Team USA against Slovakia Monday.  Westrum put away a rebound on a tip-in shot by Hal Gill.  Ryan Malone scored the third goal for the US.  Chris Drury was given a controversial and reportedly questionable cross-checking major and game misconduct early in the first period of the game.  Richard Park of the Wild scored the opening goal for the USA and earned an assist on Malone's tally.  Marian Gaborik was held scoreless in the game for Slovakia.

On Wednesday, the US trounced Ukraine 7-1 in IIHF World Championship competition in Prague.  Keith Ballard scored his first goal of the tournament in the third period, assisted by Chris Drury and Erik Westrum to put the US up 6-0. Westrum tallied 2 assists in the game.  Richard Park scored a power play goal and Ryan Malone also got on the board with the second goal in the rout.  Matt Cullen notched a helper.  The US let Ukraine get on the board with a power play goal with 38 seconds remaining in the game, destroying Mike Dunham's shutout bid. The US finishes the preliminary round with a 1-1-1 record and will not play again until Saturday when they face Russia.

Canada, with Wild defensemen Willie Mitchell and Nick Schultz, faced Switzerland Wednesday , the Canadians coming out on top 3-1.  Former UW Badger Dany Heatley scored twice, neither Schultz nor Mitchell has a point in the tournament.

Latvia defeated Kazakhstan 2-1 on Tuesday with former Wild forward Sergejs Zholtoks netting the game-winner on the power play.  Latvia faces Canada on Friday.
 

Thomas Vanek and Austria played Switzerland Tuesday in IIHF competition. Vanek, the leading scorer of the tournament with 7 points , had a goal and an assist in the 4-4 tie.   The Austrians once again blew a multi goal lead in the third period, this time allowing the Swiss to score three times, including the game-tying goal with 22 seconds left in the third period.  Vanek is ranked third amongst all competitors in the tournament in +/- with a +4.   Also playing for Austria is Oliver Setzinger whom Matt Koalska may be competing with for a spot on the Nashville Roster next season.  The Austrians face the home team Czechs on Friday.

There is a nice profile of Vanek on the IIHF's World Championships website here: http://live82.ihwc.net/english/article/spotlight/index.ihwc?&artId=1702

Marian Gaborik scored twice for Slovakia in their 5-2 victory over Wild teammate Antti Laaksonen and Team Finland on Wednesday.  The victory gave Slovakia first place in Group B.  The Slovaks face off against Russia on Friday in the Qualifying round.

Ken Gernander scored a goal and an assist in the Hartford Wolf Pack's 4-0 victory over the Portland Pirates on Wednesday.  The victory knocked the Pirates out and gave Hartford the opportunity to play the Worcester IceCats for the Eastern Conference title. There may be a problem scheduling games between the two teams, however, as the circus is in town in Worcester and as soon as it leaves next week it moves to Hartford.

After the Manchester Monarchs were eliminated from the playoffs Adam Hauser became a free agent.  Despite losing to the Worcester IceCats Hauser showed scouts two solid games with back-to-back shutouts.  Hauser, under contract with the Kings' AHL team, started the year in the ECHL before earning steady work with the Monarchs.  The Kings have Roman Cechmanek, Cristobal Huet and Matthieu Chouinard (club option for next year) in the system.  Both Hauser and Milan Hnilicka are free agents.  It is unknown whether the Kings plan to offer Hauser or Hnilicka deals.

Casey Hankinson scored a goal, his second of the playoffs, just as a power play was expiring but his Mighty Ducks fell to the Milwaukee Admirals in overtime 4-3 Monday night.  The Mighty Ducks took a gamble and asked for a stick measurement on Ads forward Vernon Fiddler with just over 7 minutes remaining in the third period.  Fiddler's stick proved illegal but the Ducks were not able to convert on the resultant power play, they were 0-5 on powerplay opportunities on the night.  Wyatt Smith earned an assist on the first goal of the game by Tony Hrkac for the Admirals.  The best-of-seven series is tied at two games each. 

Tom Preissing is part of the San Jose Shark's top defensive pairing with Brad Stuart.  Preissing, an NHL rookie who signed as a free agent with the Sharks, plays between goalie Nabokov and the Sharks' top unit of Damphosse, Marleau and Dimitrakos.

Two of the best goalies in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year are Mikka Kiprusoff of the Flames and Evgeni Nabokov of the Sharks.  Both are pupils of Minnesota's Warren Strelow and work with him in the off-season.

The Sharks shared hotel with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Florida Marlins while in Denver.  All three teams were facing Denver's pro sports clubs making their hotel "Enemy Central."

"I graduated from when I was 18 and went to the University of Minnesota. I looked at a bunch of places, and Minnesota just seemed like the best fit for me. They have good coaches and players there, so it was an easy decision.” - Thomas Vanek on choosing the U of M. (IHWC.net)

"Their camp is in September and school starts in September. If Buffalo gives me a fair offer, we'll see about this year. I haven't heard from them yet." - Thomas Vanek on possibly foregoing the remainder of his college eligibility. (IHWC.net)

"It's sure an exciting time. It's pretty neat. It's my first experience with that and special, something I'll treasure the rest of my life. Being in playoffs, too, has been great. It's been awesome, the city, the fans, all of Calgary has been absolutely great. She looks a little like me, with reddish-brown hair. I did fine. It was a neat experience.  I wouldn't want to have missed it. She doesn't have a jersey yet but I think one's on order."  - Jordan Leopold on the birth of his first child, a girl, during the Stanley Cup playoffs. (Calgary Sun)

Gopher forward Thomas Vanek got four assists in the first day of competition of the World Championships as his Team Austria topped France 6-0 and led all skaters in point.  A good test for Vanek and his NHL prospects came with Austria's second matchup against Canada on Sunday. Team Canada is made up of players who all have NHL experience and despite losing coach Joel Quenneville were expected to dominate the Austrians.  Quenneville was taken to hospital Friday night for tests and evaluation for what has been reported as "exhaustion" after being unable to sleep for three days.  Mike Babcock has replaced Quenneville as bench boss for the Canadians.  However Vanek and his teammates stunned the Canadians by jumping to a 2-0 lead after two periods on Sunday, Vanek tallying the second goal of the game.  Wild foe Matt Cooke got Canada on the board with a shorthanded tally when Austria made a bad line change just over halfway through the third period and Dany Heatly tied the game for Canada with just under five minutes left in the game.  The game ended in a 2-2- deadlock.  Wild forward Cristoph Brandner was named to the Austrian team but was unable to participate due to injury.

Marian Gaborik had the game-winner in the first period as Slovakia blanked Ukraine 2-0.

Hardly anyone noticed but Gopher defenseman Keith Ballard was a late addition to the Team USA blueline in Prague. He was there in time for the US loss to Finland wearing #31.

Former Wild Forward Sergejs Zoltoks (the Latvian spelling) didn't hesitate to join his National Team in the World Championships after Nashville was eliminated from the playoffs. He opened the scoring for Latvia against Germany on Monday as the two teams skated to a 1-1 tie and was named Player of the Game for Latvia. Latvia dropped their opening game against the Czechs 3-1.

Antti Laaksonen bested Wild teammate Richard Park and Team USA as Finland won the first game of competition in the World Championsips 4-2.  Laaksonen had a pair of assists, Park one assist.  No Minnesotans had a point in the loss. Matt Cullen was a -1 with 2 PIMs, Hauer went even, Westrum a -1 and Ballard even.

The US faces a tough Slovakian team Monday in the tournament.  After Ottawa exited the playoffs Zdeno Chara. Marian Hossa and Peter Bondra were added to the squad that already included Marian Gaborik, Josef Stumpel, Vladmir Orsagh, Miro Satan, Lubos Bartecko and Pavol Demitra.  In Group B both Slovakia and Finland have one win, the Ukraine and US one loss each.

Edina's Brett Hauer was named an assistant Captain for Team USA.

John Pohl will have a chance to return to the Worcester IceCats lineup as his club defeated Adam Hauser and the Manchester Monarchs 6-1 on Saturday winning their playoff series 4 games to 2. Hauser, who has back-to-back shutouts in the series stopped just 11 of 16 shots on Saturday.  IceCats captain Jeff Panzer had a goal and a pair of assists and former Wild forward Scott Pellerin scored a goal. Pohl suffered facial injuries after taking a puck to the face in a game just before the end of the regular season.  According to the Cats he is likely to return to the lineup in the next round for Worcester.  Mike Stuart, however, remains out with a persistant groin injury. Dan Welch did not play for the Monarchs.  Worcester will meet the winner of the Portland-Hartford series.

A recent auction for a John Pohl bobblehead given away at the last home game of the season for the Worcester Ice Cats garnered $34 as the highest bid.

Casey Hankinson's Cincinnati Mighty Ducks earned a 2-1 series lead against the AHL's best regular season team, the Milwaukee Admirals by virtue of a 1-0 victory on Saturday, rebounding from a 6-0 shelling Friday night. Wyatt Smith has been scoreless for the Ads.

The Chicago Wolves ended the run of Travis Richards and the Grand Rapids Griffins in the race for the Calder Cup in a four-game sweep. The Griffins fell to the Wolves, helmed by former North Star Steve Maltais, 8-2 on Saturday. Richards tallied a power-play marker late in the third for the Griffins but it was too little too late. Chicago moves into the Western Conference semifinals.

Ken Gernander and the Hartford Wolf Pack jumped to a 3-1 series lead over the Portland Pirates Sunday night.  The Pack dominated from the opening face-off scoring four goals in the first,