News from Dagens-Hockey.se

Having his family in New Jersey has helped Ilya Kovalchuk feel more at home as a Devil this season

Sat, 19 May 2012 06:45:05 +0200

Now in first grade, Karolina Kovalchuk is at an age where she?s starting to figure out that her father is kind of a big deal. She?s just not sure why. ?Yesterday she brought me my hockey card,? Devils right wing Ilya Kovalchuk said today. ?Some of her friends (at school) asked her to get me to sign it. She didn?t understand why, but I signed it and sent it back with her.? Kovalchuk?s smile indicates he?s more than happy to sign an autograph or two for Karolina?s friends. Having Karolina, her younger brothers, Phillip and Artem, and his wife, Nicole, with him this season has made New Jersey feel more like home. Following the Feb. 4, 2010 trade that brought Kovalchuk, 29, to the Devils from Atlanta, Nicole and the kids ? Artem was born a month and a half later ? lived at their home in Florida while Ilya lived alone in New Jersey. After he signed a 15-year, $100 million contract to stay with the Devils ? and a lengthy dispute with the league ? the following September, he purchased a plot of land in Alpine with plans to build a house there for his family. Nicole and the children remained in Florida, however, during the 2010-11 season while they waited for it to be completed. That contributed to making it one of the loneliest years of Kovalchuk?s life. ?It?s not really talked about, but in general it?s not easy to come into a new team and figure out a locker room and coaches and systems and all that stuff and really be yourself,? Devils right wing Dainius Zubrus said. ?He was in Atlanta for (seven and a half) years and he comes in here and it?s a big change, especially if you don?t have your family. Your family is a comfort zone where you come in and you get to relax. So, all those things combined, it?s not easy to relax.? While struggling through his and the Devils? terrible first half of that season, Kovalchuk would fly down to Florida whenever the team had a day off to spend a few hours with his family and then fly back to New Jersey at night. It was far from a perfect situation. ?But, what are you going to do?? Kovalchuk asked.

Quebec Nordiques: Back on Track

Sat, 19 May 2012 05:05:04 +0200

Over the past two months, the NHL and its conniving commissioner have been steadfast in making a deal to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona. Those who support the saying "fool me three times, what am I an idiot?" have been steadfast in ignoring Gary Bettman's lies.

And now we come so close to tasting what most of us hockey fans haven't tasted since 1995: some Quebec Nordiques in the NHL. As a fan of the game, one must support cities and fans that love the game and will always be there to keep it strong.

For the Quebec Nordiques, fan support was never the issue. But a tremendously weak Canadian dollar and an aging arena made it a financial impossibility to keep the team.

This is not the case with the Phoenix Coyotes, nor has it ever been. The team is lucky to have a still sparkling arena and a dollar that may not be as strong as it was but is still not suffering the same disparity as Canada in the mid-'90s.

The issue in Phoenix remains the fans, who just don't care. Arizona has the Cardinals, Suns and Diamondbacks, and although none of those teams have been on an upswing recently, the only playoff team in town is by a good margin the least remembered. Which is sad, but such is life.

So for those following, it seemed imminent that with an 18,000-seat capacity, state-of-the-art stadium underway, the Nordiques are back, and so they will be, officially.

The date to look out for is May 22, which has been recently leaked due to voting by council and some inside sources as the one that will reveal the announcement for the future of the team. It would also be the date of the fifth game of the Conference Finals for the Yotes, who may not see it, as the Kings have the chance to sweep them in four.

The sale of the Thrashers and movement to Winnipeg was announced on the 31st of May last year. However, many have argued the Nordiques organization would need more time than the Jets, who were themselves strapped for it. Regardless, it doesn't take a genius to realize a relocation package has always been in the work, barring a miracle Stanley Cup Championship, which seems to be extremely unlikely due to the Coyotes' current 0-3 position in their series.

So from this writer, all is well in hockey, and the Nordiques are just around the corner.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Should Leafs give up on Armstrong?

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:55:05 +0200

Over at LeafNation.com, Cam Charron did a corsi-based analysis of Colby Armstrong and came up with mixed conclusions regarding his performance over the past several seasons. So, causes? What caused a player with pretty good possession statistics in Atlanta to completely fall off the map in the last two seasons? System? Trust? Role? A flaw [...]

Tom Renney?s contract not renewed by Edmonton Oilers; who might replace him?

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:20:06 +0200

After Canada was eliminated from the IIHF world championships, the Edmonton Oilers braintrust of Kevin Lowe and Steve Tambellini finally found some free time to announce that Oilers head coach Tom Renney's contract won't be renewed.

This wasn't exactly unexpected news, as Renney went 57-85-22 in two seasons with the Oilers, presiding over a roster of extremely talented young players, well-compensated veterans and significant holes in the lineup.

After the season, Tambellini said Renney was the Oilers coach "right now," which is like referring to your significant other as "my current wife and/or husband."

The time had arrived to make a decision, if for no other reason than to give Renney and his staff a chance to find work and to jump into the pool with the other teams seeking coaches.

So who's next in line for this gig?

Jonathan Willis has compiled a terrific series of profiles over on Cult of Hockey, but there are three names we're intrigued by:

Brent Sutter

The recent Calgary Flames coach was given a "test drive" as head coach of Team Canada at Worlds, a job for which Sutter was selected by Lowe. The system he plays, his ability to work with young players and his Red Deer connection with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all work in his favor. Seeing this Albertan hockey flip-flop would not be a surprise.

Todd Nelson

The head coach of the Oklahoma City Barons of the AHL since 2010 and a former assistant with the Thrashers, his success at the AHL level warrants him a serious look as a coach that can grow with this young roster.

And one off the radar, courtesy of our radio buddy Jeff Marek:

Derek Laxdal

Former NHLer and current head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, he's been a head coach in the CHL, ECHL and WHL since 2002, winning a Kelly Cup with Idaho in 2006-07. An off the radar choice for NHL head coach, but obviously one with local ties and quite familiar to the organization.

As for Renney ? well, George McPhee is looking for a coach in Washington, and Renney was in Vancouver with McPhee in 1996, so ?

DU Lacrosse Watch Parties Around USA

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:25:05 +0200

NCAA Quarterfinals

DU vs. Loyola

Saturday

11:30 PT, 12:30 MT, 1:30 CT, 2:30 ET

Atlanta- STATS Restaurant & Bar
Boston - The Fours
Chicago- Gaslight Bar and Grille
Colorado Springs- Old Chicago
Dallas- Lakewood's 1st & 10
Denver- Boone's Tavern, Crimson & Gold The Pioneer
Houston- The Firkin and Phoenix Pub
New York City- Tap Room 307
Northern California- The Chieftain Irish Pub and Restaurant
Phoenix- Half Moon Sports Grill
Portland- Macadam's Bar & Grill
Seattle- New York Pizza & Bar
Southern California- South
Twin Cities- The Local
Washington, D.C.- R.F.D. Washington

Winnipeg fans just can't let it go

Mon, 14 May 2012 22:25:04 +0200

"Dear Hockey Fans of Winnipeg, Maybe you failed to notice it through your blinding hatred of Gary Bettman and all things Phoenix, but you have a NHL franchise. Yeah, Im serious. The Atlanta Thrashers, mired by poor management, closed up shop in Georgia and moved north of the border to call..."

Stanley Cup Playoffs 2012: Power Ranking the Current Form of Every NHL Team

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:05 +0200

I got to believe that the NHL wants to see a New York, Los Angeles final.

The Rangers are an Original Six team in the league’s largest market and Los Angeles is one of the few Second Six non-traditional market experiments that worked out.

Both these two teams would generate large national interest in the Stanley Cup Finals.

While the league itself would benefit from having a Canadian market in the final, even if it were a smaller one like Edmonton or Calgary, these two teams have large fanbases and national appeal.

In no way am I seeking to bash the Coyotes or Devils.

The league has committed to keeping its teams put, at least for the time being, and while the Coyotes organization may be a giant black hole for the city of Glendale, it will be harder for the league to encourage other cities to support their NHL teams if they abandon Phoenix/Glendale a year after turning the Atlanta Thrashers into the Winnipeg Jets.

Dave Tippett is a model coach and the team has likable veterans (Shane Doan, Ray Whitney) to complement budding superstars (Martin Hanzal, Keith Yandle) and a stalwart goaltender (Mike Smith).

New Jersey may be the "other" team on the East Coast, meaning that they’re lost in a market dominated by the Rangers and Flyers.

Then again, the Devils have become a model franchise since moving from Colorado in the early ‘80s. The team has won three Stanley Cups and has 10 division titles since relocating to jersey and are in position to add another Cup to their gallery if they can defeat the mighty Rangers.

An LA, New York final would generate a lot of interest in the league, but there’s no harm in having arguably two of the most overlooked franchises in hockey.

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Arctic Ice Hockey - Podcast Episode 4 - May 12, 2012

Sat, 12 May 2012 22:50:06 +0200

Hey all! The Arctic Ice Hockey podcast brings Episode Number 4 your way! Unfortunately, we do not have the capability to podcast live, but in future episodes, you can tweet your questions or comments to @tjcaps or, if more than 140 characters are required, email them to sbnarcticicehockey@yahoo.ca.

In today's episode, Ben and I talk about the future of Alexander Burmistrov as a Winnipeg Jet as well as our take on "TicketGate" which is a hot topic around the city. We will also delve into the NHL's supplemental discipline plan as proposed by our own danl1988 and offer predictions on tonight's Game 7 between the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals. Going forward we will continue to provide you the thoughts and opinions of our fantastic team of bloggers and we will host a guest or two along the way.

You can download the podcast on ITunes by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!

Eishockey - Haie holen Olympiasieger Tjärnqvist

Sat, 12 May 2012 11:40:07 +0200

Die Kölner Haie haben einen spektakulären Neuzugang perfekt gemacht. Der Traditionsklub aus der Deutschen Eishockey Liga (DEL) verpflichtete den schwedischen Olympiasieger Daniel Tjärnqvist. Der Verteidiger wechselt aus Djurgården zum KEC. Er habe einen Vertrag über eine Saison unterzeichnet, teilten die Kölner am Samstag mit. Seinen größten Erfolg erzielte der ehemalige NHL-Profi mit dem Olympiasieg 2006 in Turin. Bei Weltmeisterschaften errang Tjärnqvist mit der schwedischen Auswahl zweimal Silber (2003 und 2004) und zweimal Bronze (2001 und 2002). Bei den Titelkämpfen 2002 in Schweden wurde er zum besten Abwehrspieler des Turniers gewählt. In der nordamerikanischen Profiliga NHL stand der mittlerweile 35 Jahre alte Eishockey-Star in Diensten der Atlanta Thrashers, von Minnesota Wild, der Edmonton Oilers und von Colorado Avalanche. Er kam dabei nach KEC-Angaben auf 352 Partien. Tjärnqvist spielte aber auch schon in Finnland und Russland.

Eishockey - Haie holen Olympiasieger Tjärnqvist

Sat, 12 May 2012 11:35:05 +0200