NHL News and Notes (12/5)
Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League
Dec 5, 11:37 AM | Hype this story!
There’s plenty of big stories being discussed in the world of hockey these days. So here are a few interesting tidbits for you to enjoy…
Detroit Red Wings veteran defenseman Chris Chelios, age 46, has been sent to the AHL for the first time in his lengthy career. While the move is designed simply for rehabilitation purposes, it has to be something Chelios isn’t thrilled with.
Maybe the most interesting part of this story is what will happen when Chelios’ assignment ends? The Wings are playing well right now and don’t seem to have room for another defender, especially one who wasn’t given much of a chance to play in last season’s Stanley Cup Finals.
It likely comes as no surprise that KHL officials have copied a rather popular idea adopted by the NHL in recent years: playing an outdoor game.
What also likely isn’t surprising is that the KHL looks to have thought it out, having the league’s first ever All Star game be the center of focus for the unique event. On January 10, the league’s top players – separated into two groups, Team Yashin, made up of Russian-born players, and Team Jagr, made up of everyone else — will battle one another at Red Square.
Having the inconsequential All Star game outdoors makes a heck of a lot more sense than having a mod-season, meaningful game played in an auxiliary atmosphere.
Not surprisingly, few players, coaches and team officials around the NHL have much of anything good to say about Sean Avery these days. As the controversial Dallas Stars winger awaits the announcement of what is expected to be a very lengthy suspension for remarks made earlier this week, the masses are speaking out.
One such person is Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals, who coached Avery in the minor leagues. “I had him for one week,” Boudreau said. “It felt like a year.”
Word is that the Stars are doing everything possible to rid themselves of the locker room cancer, even trying to demote him to the AHL, but they’ve had no luck, as his reputation finally has caught up to him.
More on Avery’s suspension later today.
Sharks Taking A Bite Of The Record Book
With 43 points in their first 25 games this season (now at 47 in 26) the San Jose Sharks have jumped to the best start since the 1943-44 season.
The question is, are these the typical dominant regular season Sharks who flop in the playoffs, or new, mutated Sharks who chomp everyone in their path? Only time will tell, but they are extremely impressive, indeed.
Laviolette Out, Maurice (Back) In
The struggling (then 12-11-2) Carolina Hurricanes made a coaching change as their once promising season started going down the drain. Out was the winningest American-born coach in NHL history, Peter Laviolette, and in his place…Paul Maurice. Yes, the same Paul Maurice who preceded Laviolette in Carolina, and the same Maurice who coached the putrid Toronto Maple Leafs the last few years.
While Maurice hasn’t had much time to make an impression on his (new?) team, his team likely made an impression on him with a 5-2 shellacking last night by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Maurice’s thoughts: “Just what I’m used to!”
And On The Free Agency Front…
Brendan Shanahan and Mats Sundin remain on the free agent market, but for different reasons.
It appeared two weeks ago Shanahan was on the verge of signing a contract with someone in the Atlantic Division, but nothing happened, and the rugged left winger remains available. One has to wonder, at this point, if he is a free agent by choice or by force? I just don’t see much interest in him the longer the season goes on.
As for Sundin, the interest clearly is there, with rumors of the Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks leading the pack of interested teams. Apparently the rumor-mongers haven’t heard of the little thing the NHL calls the salary cap. Just a week ago, the Flyers were in a bind to find cap space to re-activate two defensemen on injured reserves…now they’re a front-runner for a player who has a $10 million offer on the table from the Canucks? Okay…
Comments
Ben Schmidt
Dec 5, 12:33 PM
I would absolutely love to watch a hockey game in Red Square. It’s a beautiful location on its own, and when I was there, I spent a decent amount of time, just standing or walking, soaking in the place. Seeing a hockey game there, even a meaningless one, would just be unbelievable.
Jesse Marshall
Dec 5, 12:45 PM
Check out this goal from Kris Versteeg last night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chYWsZh-zjE
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