Nhl

[boxingviews]

Canucks fans should be disgraced, terrible show of sportsmanship

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Canucks fans should be disgraced, terrible show of sportsmanship

Yes they should but you also have to understand how much the sport of hockey means to them too. Nothing will excuse what they did but there is a hell a lot of history behind their passion to the NHL

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Woop, woop Captain Nick is going to back for another year!

Bit tired from studying so will post the article later but if you wanna read it head over to nhl.com

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

2011 NHL awards went down today, I was following it via nhl.com some good winners

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

The Flyers have been busy, they traded away Richards and Carter to sign Ilya Bryzgalov! They've also got a couple of other players in as well, so below report is from nhl.com

Thursday's flurry of moves remakes the Flyers

MINNEAPOLIS -- In perhaps the biggest roster shakeup in Philadelphia Flyers history, the team completely changed the look of the franchise on Thursday, trading team captain Mike Richards and All-Star center Jeff Carter in separate deals before agreeing to terms with goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov on a long-term contract.

The Flyers sent Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets for right wing Jakub Voracek, the No. 8 pick of the 2011 Entry Draft, and a third-round pick (No. 68) in the same draft. Richards was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for right wing Wayne Simmonds, center Brayden Schenn and a second-round pick in the 2012 draft.

"What we've done today is change the direction of our organization with these two moves," General Manager Paul Holmgren said. "I've always said over the last few years that I like our team. Today I like our team. We're just a different team."

Part of that different look is Bryzgalov, who won 36 games and posted a personal-best .921 save percentage last season while leading the Phoenix Coyotes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season. His seven shutouts were fourth in the League, while Philadelphia was the only team in the NHL without a shutout in 2010-11.

The Flyers have not revealed details of Bryzgalov's contract, but TSN is reporting the deal is worth $51.5 million over nine years.

"We rank Ilya as one of the upper-echelon goalies in the League, and bringing him in, he does give us stability," Holmgren said. "We still have our young guy (Sergei Bobrovsky) we think the world of who can grow into a role on our team and we'll see where that goes. Adding Ilya and maintaining the defense we had last year, we think we're in a good spot."

That good spot, however, doesn't include Carter and Richards, two players to whom Holmgren particularly felt close. As the Flyers' assistant GM in 2002-03, he scouted both and had the final call on them being taken by Philadelphia in the first round of the 2003 Entry Draft. He watched both develop into stars -- Richards is a two-time 30-goal scorer who captained the Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final and won an Olympic gold medal, while Carter has scored at least 33 goals in three straight seasons.

Holmgren also signed both to long-term deals in the last few seasons -- Richards to a 12-year deal in December 2007, Carter to an 11-year deal in November 2010 that starts July 1.

"Those are two hard phone calls to make," an emotional Holmgren said. "I think the world of both of them. That's difficult. That's the hard part of the job. That was tough, obviously.

"Mike and Jeff were extremely upset. It's a call that they … not only was it tough for me to make it was tough for them to receive. When you're around this business long enough, you get to know that it is a business. Hopefully everyone will move on. They're both good players in our League and they'll go on to be productive players on their new teams."

Flyers players were caught off-guard by Thursday's transactions.

"It's always tough as a player to see teammates go, two of them leaving today," forward Danny Briere told NHL.com. "It's never a good feeling. But the message that I got from that was … our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. The last two years, we had the team to win the Stanley Cup and we didn't succeed, we didn't reach our goal. This organization isn't going to sit back and let the parade go by. That's the message I got. Come next year everybody better be ready to go. They're not going to just sit back."

Holmgren said the genesis of Thursday's deals can be traced to the Flyers' acquisition of Bryzgalov's rights.

"When we made the deal to get negotiating rights to Ilya, it put wheels in motion with a lot of teams," Holmgren said. "We fielded a lot of calls over the last 10 days. … I had some talks with a few teams between the time we lost (in the playoffs) and the end of the Stanley Cup Final that we may be in a position to do some things. There was a whole lot of things talked about. Some of these talks came to fruition over the last few days and led to what happened today."

"We had a chance to all sit down and talk to (team chairman) Ed Snider, and at the end of the day it was unanimous that it was the best move for us to go forward and ensure we'll have a better team," Flyers President Peter Luukko told NHL.com. "Starting with a world-class goalie and defense and moving out."

Holmgren also cited the development of All-Star center Claude Giroux and young forward James van Riemsdyk as reasons for making these moves.

"The last few years, the emergence of Claude Giroux is a factor," he said. "We're a little bit overloaded in the middle of the ice with Jeff and Mike and Claude and Danny Briere. So to take a step back and try to add some size on the wing and still maintain our good presence down the middle, I think that's where Brayden Schenn comes in, he'll help us there. We're a different team today, much different when you move those two guys. But I like our team moving forward."

The biggest thing to like could be Bryzgalov, who the Flyers hope brings to an end the seemingly endless quest for a top-flight goaltender. That position was in a less-than-savory spotlight during the 2011 playoffs, when the Flyers started three goaltenders in seven games in the first round against the Buffalo Sabres, then allowed 20 goals in a four-game sweep by the Boston Bruins in the second round.

"I don't believe we lost the series against Boston because of goaltending," Briere said. "It's easy to point the finger there, but I don't agree with that. There's a lot of questioning that comes with it, but I think that (Bryzgalov signing) is going to stop all the questioning with goaltending and the Flyers. That needed to be done and the organization took care of it."

The lingering question is the status of Bobrovsky, the 22-year-old Russian who emerged from obscurity to win the starting job during the regular season. In his first season in North America, the youngster went 28-13-8 with a 2.58 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.

"We like (Bobrovsky) as a good young goalie in our League," Holmgren said. "What it does to him I'm not sure. We like him. Our intention is to have him and Ilya as our goaltending tandem."
In Schenn, the Flyers acquire a 19-year-old center Holmgren called "probably the best young player outside the NHL."

"Brayden Schenn is little bit of a diamond in the rough here," Holmgren said. "Do we take a step back with him? I don't know. He's a tremendous young player and I look forward to seeing him over the next number of years in our organization."

Schenn had a globe-trotting season in 2010-11. He had 2 assists in eight games with the Kings and 7 points in seven games with the AHL Manchester Monarchs. He spent most of the season in junior hockey, piling up 59 points in 29 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades. His biggest moment, though, was at the 2011 World Junior Championship, when he had 18 points in seven games and won the tournament's MVP award.

"I remember watching Schenn at the World Juniors last year," Briere said. "He looked great. I thought he handled the pressure well. If he wasn't Canada's best player he was in the top two or three. I was very impressed by him. I remember thinking I wish we had someone like that in the organization coming up."
"What we've done today is change the direction of our organization with these two moves. I've always said over the last few years that I like our team. Today I like our team. We're just a different team." -- Paul Holmgren
Simmonds, 22, and Voracek, 21, address what Holmgren believed was a need for size on the wings. The 6-foot-2, 183-pound Simmonds had 14 goals and 16 assists in 80 games last season, while the 6-2, 214-pound Voracek had 14 goals and 32 assists in 80 games.

"Jakub Voracek is a good player," said Holmgren. "I think he's averaged 44 points in his three years. He may not be a natural goal-scorer like Jeff was, but he's a guy that can produce points. And Wayne Simmonds playing in L.A. kicked in 16 goals I believe (actually 14). We think there's more there.

"I've said a lot during the year that we need to get bigger up front, especially on the wings. With the additions of Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds, we have two guys who can play in our top-nine forward mix and are bigger guys."

The Flyers also pick up a first-round pick in the flurry of activity, something they haven't had since 2008. Their own first-round pick, No. 25, belongs to Toronto from the Kris Versteeg trade.

"I think there's a good group of guys, especially right now, the pick we've got, we're looking at some players we like as a group that we've seen a lot of during the year," Flyers Director of Hockey Operations Chris Pryor told NHL.com. "We're very happy to get into the position we're in. We're excited about the players we're looking at."

It's a day of broad changes to an organization still looking to end a Stanley Cup drought that dates to 1975.

"We're trying to put a team together that can compete for the Stanley Cup and win it," Holmgren said. "That's where we're at."

 

[sportive cupid]

And I hear the Winnipeg Jets are back next season as well (not sure if I believe hhim)

1992 draft today .My son tells me he is off to Montreal

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Yes the Jets are back, their name was officially announced on draft day and the 2011 draft was finished yesterday sometime

 

[Mr Angry]

Yep Jets are in Atlanta Thrashers gorn.

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Early returns favor Caps, Rangers among others

from nhl.com


It's time to start dissecting.

With the Stanley Cup awarded, the Entry Draft completed, Free Agent Friday and the birthday celebrations of both Canada and the United States all behind us, enough has happened to form an early opinion on which NHL teams have set themselves up for success in 2011-12 and which teams still have some work to do.

Here are five teams that appear to be improved -- all pending results next winter and spring, of course -- and five others that are looking at unfinished business.

ANSWERING THE CALL
Early returns favor Caps, Rangers among others
Tuesday, 07.05.2011 / 2:24 PM / 2011 Offseason News
By Dan Rosen - NHL.com Senior Writer
87Share
It's time to start dissecting.

With the Stanley Cup awarded, the Entry Draft completed, Free Agent Friday and the birthday celebrations of both Canada and the United States all behind us, enough has happened to form an early opinion on which NHL teams have set themselves up for success in 2011-12 and which teams still have some work to do.

Here are five teams that appear to be improved -- all pending results next winter and spring, of course -- and five others that are looking at unfinished business.

ANSWERING THE CALL


1. Washington Capitals

Caps GM George McPhee shocked the hockey world Saturday by signing veteran goalie Tomas Vokoun to a bargain shopper's dream contract of one year and $1.5 million. Vokoun made $6.3 million last season in Florida, but he was disappointed with his offers on July 1 and decided that he wants to win and the Capitals give him the best chance to do so.

Vokoun reportedly spurned bigger money offers to come to Washington, and McPhee admitted he basically got lucky.

He didn't with his other moves. They were calculated, including the trade of Semyon Varlamov to Colorado.

McPhee was able to reel in a first-round pick in 2012 and a second-round pick in either 2012 or 2013 for Varlamov, a 23-year-old who has the potential to be a stud No. 1 only if he can stay healthy, which he never did in two full seasons with the Capitals. If the Avalanche struggle again, that first-round pick could be in the lottery.

McPhee also overhauled the Capitals' depth and experience by trading for ex-Blackhawk and Stanley Cup-winner Troy Brouwer, and signing winger Joel Ward (four years), defenseman Roman Hamrlik (two years) and center Jeff Halpern (one year).

And, let's also not forget the six-year, $27 million contract that kept versatile forward Brooks Laich in Washington.

2. New York Rangers

The Blueshirts gave a nine-year, $60 million contract to get the prize of free agency. Brad Richards immediately makes the Rangers a better team because he gives them the No. 1 center that they have not had under coach John Tortorella -- who, by the way, coached Richards to the Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup in 2004.
Richards brings credibility to the position that the Rangers needed it most. Yes, they had to give out a hefty contract and they will be paying some huge bucks, especially in the first six years when Richards is reportedly in line to make $57 million of the $60 million contract, but he's a 31-year-old former Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe winner who already knows the coach and his system.

Don't overlook Mike Rupp jumping on board for three years at a total of $4.5 million. Rupp is a physical player who fights and can score the odd goal. He's won the Stanley Cup and he's one of the most likable guys in the dressing room.

3. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres have a history of losing more on July 1 then actually gaining due to budgetary problems from previous ownership regimes. Well, this year, new owner Terry Pegula has given GM Darcy Regier his checkbook and told him to turn the Sabres into a Stanley Cup contender.

Regier has answered by revamping the Sabres defense by trading for Robyn Regehr and signing Christian Ehrhoff to a 10-year, $40 million contract. He picked up some snarl and some finesse with each move.

Regier also signed Ville Leino to a six-year, $27 million contract. The plan is to turn Leino, a second-line winger in Philadelphia, into a first-line center in Buffalo. Leino told the Sabres he played center until he was 23 years old in Finland, but he hasn't been a center at the NHL level.

4. Los Angeles Kings

Prying Mike Richards away from Philadelphia for Wayne Simmonds and prospect Brayden Schenn was a no-brainer for Kings GM Dean Lombardi. In Richards, Lombardi landed a former Selke Trophy finalist who has played in the Stanley Cup Final, been a captain in a major hockey market and is only 26 years old.

Simmonds is a solid second- or third-line winger and Schenn could be a star, but Richards already is a two-time 30-goal scorer and he's entering the prime of his career.

The Kings tried and failed to add another Richards (Brad), but the consolation prize of signing Simon Gagne to a two-year contract should make Mike Richards happy, as he played with Gagne in Philadelphia. That history suggests Gagne should be on Richards' left wing when the 2011-12 season begins. If Dustin Brown is on the right side, that gives the Kings an extremely versatile line.

Gagne is coming off an injury-plagued season in Tampa Bay, but if he can stay healthy he's still only a 31-year old winger with a lot of goals left on his stick.

5. Columbus Blue Jackets

Here's a team that is definitely looking to get serious 2011-12. Their fans may say it's long overdue.

The Blue Jackets, who have made the playoffs just once in their history, have made two bold moves since the end of the season that likely set off a few cannons in Columbus. GM Scott Howson pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire center Jeff Carter at the draft and this past Friday he gave big years and money to defenseman James Wisniewski.

The hope is that Carter is the No. 1 center the Blue Jackets have never had to play with Rick Nash and Wisniewski is the No. 1 defenseman and power-play quarterback they've sorely lacked. He's costing them $33 million over six years, but Wisniewski is coming off a big year split between the Islanders and Canadiens, and now he's going to be the man in Columbus.

Carter cost the Blue Jackets winger Jakub Voracek as well as the 8th and 68th picks in the Entry Draft, but Howson may finally have the guy that to pair with Nash. Carter is more of a shooter and less of a playmaker, but if Nash drives to the net he can follow in a lot of Carter's shots and get to some juicy rebounds.

QUESTIONABLE RETURNS

1. New Jersey Devils

After coming up short in what would have been a miraculous run to the playoffs, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has spent the offseason re-signing two of his own while continuing to search for a new head coach. Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson was a nice get for the Devils at No. 4 in the Entry Draft, but nobody is sure if he helps them immediately.

Getting Andy Greene back in the fold was important, but it's fair to question giving a defenseman who was a minus-23 with 23 points last season a four-year, $12 million deal. Greene did have 37 points and a plus-9 rating in 2009-10, but the Devils were also a much better team.

Re-signing Johan Hedberg was also important as he is the perfect No. 2 goalie, especially behind Martin Brodeur. But goaltending is not the Devils' concern, at least presently.

Lamoriello might be ready to give youngsters Jacob Josefsen, Mattias Tedenby, Nick Palmieri, Vladimir Zharkov, Matthew Corrente, Matt Taormina and Larsson the opportunity for significant ice time this season. Then again, is giving their kids a chance the best way for the Devils to get back into contender's status?

And it remains to be seen who will be doling out that ice time.

2. Ottawa Senators

Save for the coach (they have Paul MacLean), the Senators appear to be in a similar boat as the Devils. They need to upgrade a roster that was good enough for only 74 points last season, but they haven't done so as of yet.
The Senators got a backup goalie for Craig Anderson by signing Alex Auld, and they inked 32-year-old Francis Lessard to a one-year, two-way contract. These are not moves that are going to make the Senators a better team.

However, the Senators do have an AHL affiliate in Binghamton that won the Calder Cup, so like his counterpart in New Jersey, Ottawa GM Bryan Murray might be poised to give youngsters like Bobby Butler, Erik Condra, Colin Greening and Zack Smith more playing time this season.

That could be good for the Senators future, but with Daniel Alfredsson and Sergei Gonchar only getting older and Jason Spezza coming off an injury-plagued season, time is running short on the Senators' core.

3. Colorado Avalanche

A lot of hockey insiders were quick to criticize Avalanche GM Greg Sherman after he gave up a first-round pick and a second-round pick for 23-year-old goalie Semyon Varlamov. The fact is that Varlamov was talking about going back to Russia, but then he got dealt and signed a three-year contract to be the Avs' No. 1 goalie.

Talent-wise, Varlamov has what it takes to be a No. 1 in the NHL. But he wasn't able to stay healthy over his two full seasons in Washington, which means there are legitimate questions about his durability. Plus, if the Avalanche go through another rebuilding season, it's possible that Sherman gave up a lottery pick for Varlamov.

Sherman also signed Jean-Sebastien Giguere to serve as Varlamov's backup, defenseman Jan Hejda to replace John-Michael Liles, who was traded to Toronto at the Entry Draft, and Chuck Kobasew to add depth up front.

Giguere struggled in Toronto last season, but maybe moving to a full-time back-up role will help him at this stage of his career. Hejda, who got a four-year, $13.3 million contract, is a solid 33-year-old defenseman who is two years removed from his best season in the NHL. Kobasew is a former first-round pick who has never really panned out and has struggled to stay healthy.

4. New York Islanders

Nobody can fault GM Garth Snow for his efforts, but the net result has not been good for the Islanders.

Snow traded a fourth-round pick to Vancouver for the negotiating rights to Christian Ehrhoff, but talks fell through and he had to ship Ehrhoff's rights to Buffalo to recoup that fourth-round pick.

Snow likely had irons in other fires, but the best he's been able to come up with so far is veteran forward Marty Reasoner, who got a two-year deal after scoring 32 points in 82 games with the Panthers last season. Reasoner is a nice complementary player for the Islanders, but he's hardly the big-splash get the team was hoping for after showing some promise in the second half.

There's a chance Snow is trying to upgrade in other areas, but he appears to be having a hard time selling his franchise.

5. Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago GM Stan Bowman gave himself some extra money to spend by shipping Brian Campbell and his hefty contract to Florida in exchange for Rostislav Olesz at the draft. Armed with the cap space, Bowman went out and signed five players to one-year contracts and a defenseman to a four-year deal.

But are they the right players?

The certainty is that the Blackhawks got tougher by getting Steve Montador to sign a long-term deal and Andrew Brunette, Sean O'Donnell, Daniel Carcillo, Jamal Mayers and Brett McLean to sign short-term contracts. However, this is a team that relies on puck possession to win games and none of the players Bowman has signed are regarded as the best suited for that job.

Brunette seems like the best fit to slide in to replace Troy Brouwer's production and perhaps O'Donnell serves as the team's sixth or seventh defenseman with Montador likely in a No. 5 role. Mayers and Carcillo might be fourth-liners/healthy scratches and McLean could be targeted for the American Hockey League.

So while they are tougher, it's fair to ask if the Hawks are any better now compared to the end of last season.

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Also a couple of old boys in Arnott and Langenbrunner have signed for the Blues. Both these guys have played well at the Stars and Devils especially so I think they're a real good coup for St Louis

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Sad day, Ozzie retired! :-( was announced through the Red Wings yesterday morning, but he's had a pretty awesome career and his fair share of moments but nevermind! Now I think we just have to wait and hear if Drapes is staying or going. If he goes (and I guess odds are good) I'd be totally crushed!

Why? First centerman I actually liked!

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Also heard finally the Lightning have come up with a decent deal for Stamkos and he's staying in Tampa

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Drapes is now officially retired! :-( *cries* I watched the press conference last night/this morning and I was almost in tears! Not kidding about it too, honestly it's stupid to be emotional about it but I'm still feeling it.

Am going to miss him probably the best out of all the guys that have left, Ozzie, Stevie, Rafa...etc..I will definitely miss Kris Draper the most. Arguably (and I'm bias here! haha) the best centre in the NHL (better than Sid, and Geno and Towes...and all the best). Nobody had his speed and his smarts...nothing!

Good bye Drapes and good luck! Glad to know he's staying with the club still :-D

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

In other news I've heard, the Devils traded Brian Rolston to the Islanders, can't remember who they got but it means they've got a bit more room under their cap that should help them sort out a bit more of a deal for Zach Parise (who still headed for arbitration at this stage next week)

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Well Parise and the Devils agreed to a one year deal and thus have avoided the arbitration that was supposed to be for this Wednesday; and the Devils have also stated they are looking into a longer contract for him. Am very pleased to hear it, I've bee quite impressed with Zac when I saw him during the Olympics; it was just unfortunate injuries ruined much of his progress through the 2011 season, but hopefully he'll be back to his best in the new season

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Well one arbitration hearing may have been avoided (Devils and Parise) but another one very well could happen on Tuesday for Shea Weber and the Nashville Predators...things haven't quite clicked in a terms of a deal...unless something happens between now and the hearing...we shall see how it pans out....

 

[Mr Angry]

Parise is awesome on the Xbox.

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Haha! Nice. I mainly play as the Red Wings or Pens when I play on the PS3, haven't tried the other teams yet. Bias. Yup! lol

 

[Mr Angry]

I tried to simulate a few games to get to the play -offs, got dropped from first line, then second , then third, then next I knew I was traded and playing for the Lowell Devils. Stopped the sim, made it up the lines and was playing with Zac.

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

LOL understandable. It does take a long time to get through the whole season I only sim one or two games and play as much as I can. Since I play all three (09,10 and 11) its hard remembering where I'm up to, but I'm in 2nd year for NHL 09 (already been a cup winner with red wings and penguins in first year) and running in 2nd year playoffs for red wings, regular season still for Pen, on 10 currently playing 1st year at Tampa Bay (got drafted by them), also playing for the Hurricanes AHL team and on 11 I got drafted 1st by the Oilers lol so playing 1st year there at the moment.

Phew, that's all I think. LOL. Currently hold down 1st line duties for all teams.

In some I'm a centre and in others I'm a winger. Wingers are meant to score more but I find I pick up more assists. Oops. LOL.