Faceoff Factor

NHL News And Notes

Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League

Apr 24, 12:42 PM | Hype this story!

Roberts May Not Play
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Penguins forward Gary Roberts remains uncertain about his status for game one of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the New York Rangers tomorrow night. While he has been practicing with the team, he still isn’t where he’d like to be. “If it’s not close to 100 percent, I won’t play,” he said.

Avery Making His Mark
NHL officials have denied a claim that they gave permission to Reebok to print Sean Avery t-shirts mocking his disgraceful stick-waving antics in round one. The shirt, which reads “Avery Rule No. 16” with a stick in front of it, likely won’t hit the shelves – at least as an officially-licensed shirt.

While on the topics of Avery and clothing, the dirty player revealed that he likes to clean up with fashion. According to ABC News, Avery has signed on with Vogue magazine as an unpaid intern.

Montreal Police Hope To Extinguish Fans
After a dangerous celebration in Montreal Monday night that saw police cars torched, police are taking precautionary measures to make sure similar riots don’t occur after future victories. Police are expected to be bused into the city following games, and, while the main street will not be closed initially, it remains a possibility.

Twenty-three people have been arrested for their part in Monday’s riots, and police have seized television footage in hopes of making further arrests. According to various sources, several of those arrested were minors, at least one of whom was just 14-years-old.

Boudreau, Trotz Re-Sign; Burke Stays Put
Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau has been given a vote of confidence after turning the team around in a short period of time. The rookie coach, who toiled in the minor leagues for years, is a likely candidate for the Jack Adams award, given to the coach of the year. According to Capitals GM George McPhee, “He’s our coach. He’s under contract … for a long time.”

Barry Trotz also will remain in charge of his team, after averaging 99.5 points per year during the previous four seasons. He and his staff have had their contracts extended for an undisclosed number of years, according to a team release. Trotz led the Predators to the playoffs this year despite losing a significant number of crucial players through trades and to the free agency market last summer.

And, while rumors have swirled in recent months that Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke could take the vacated Vice President/GM position in Toronto, the Ducks have confirmed that he will remain in California for at least one more season. He has one year left on his current contract and a team release states that an extension is a work in progress.

Nonis Out, Gillis In
After missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, the Vancouver Canucks last week fired GM Dave Nonis. One week later, the team announced former player agent Mike Gillis as his replacement. “I’m hoping to bring a different perspective in terms of player relations,” he said to TSN. “I’m hoping to bring different ideas to the draft table and to player development.”