The NHL's spat-filled romance with the Olympics is officially on again with the league announcing that it will send its players to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Games.
The league will take a break in its schedule Feb. 9 and resume play Feb. 26 to accommodate the Olympic participation.
The tournament will run from Feb. 12-23 and the USA will be in a group with Russia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Although owners and players came out of the last collective bargaining agreement fight with a presumption that the NHL would continue Olympic participation, the league and the NHL Players' Association needed months of negotiations to work out their differences with the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation.
"The decision to participate in the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi was in many ways a difficult one, but one that we know will be well received by our players and, most importantly, by the vast majority of our fans and sports fans everywhere," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
NHL officials appreciate the exposure the Olympics bring to their sport, but they have been displeased about the logistics. For example, the NHL hasn't been able to show Olympic game highlights on the league's websites and television network. Owners and team general managers had no access to the NHL players. The league and NHLPA also were seeking more benefits for the players, players' family members and league guests.
"Having the opportunity to wear their nation's sweater in Sochi is something the players look forward to," NHLPA executive director Don Fehr said.
The NHL has been sending players to the Olympics since 1998. Canada has won two gold medals (2002 and 2010), the Czech Republic won in 1998 and Sweden took gold in 2006. The Americans won silver medals in the 2002 and 2010 Games, both of which were played in North America. It lost in the quarterfinals the other two times.
Seven NHL referees and six NHL linesmen will join the IIHF on-ice officials' crews. The tournament will be played according to the IIHF rulebook on the wider international ice surface.
"I think speed will be even more important with that big ice," Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, who scored the gold-medal clincher in Vancouver, said during a conference call. "Obviously physical play is always important, but I think with the bigger ice it's probably going to be a little bit tougher to establish that. So I think speed and skill is really going to be a big part of that game."
USA Hockey has said that the bigger surface, 15 feet wider than NHL rinks, could affect who it brings to Sochi.
The USA, which has named David Poile as general manager and Dan Bylsma as coach, will invite 40 players to the Washington Capitals' practice facility in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 26-27 for an orientation camp.
Defending champion Canada will hold a camp in late August in Calgary. Hockey Canada expects to name a coaching staff soon. Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock was the winning coach at the Vancouver Games.
Oct. 1: The season opens with the Chicago Blackhawks raising their Stanley Cup banner in a game against the Washington Capitals.
Oct. 3: The Boston Bruins, facing the Tampa Bay Lightning, raise their Eastern Conference championship banner.
Oct. 13: The Ottawa Senators visit the Anaheim Ducks for the first time since they acquired winger Bobby Ryan.
Oct. 30: The Bruins visit the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of the Eastern Conference final won by Boston in a sweep. Jarome Iginla, picked up by the Penguins to be a difference-maker in the playoffs, signed with the Bruins on June 5.
Nov. 5: The Dallas Stars visit the Bruins in the teams' first meeting since Boston dealt Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley for Loui Eriksson and prospects as part of a seven-player trade.
Nov. 7: The Rick Nash trade seems so long ago, but he never had a homecoming because of this season's conference-only schedule. His New York Rangers will visit the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the reception likely won't be good because he had requested a trade. The Rangers experienced a drop-off despite the addition of Nash while the Blue Jackets improved to within a tiebreaker of making the playoffs.
Nov. 30: Fired Rangers coach John Tortorella will be behind the Vancouver Canucks bench in his homecoming. New-look Tortorella was verbose in his opening news conference, so it will be interesting to see how he treats the New York media. Fired Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, who's now behind the Rangers bench, will visit Vancouver on April 1.
Dec. 1: Former longtime Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson will return with Detroit. He signed a bonus-laden, one-year deal with the Red Wings last month because he thought they offered him a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup. Dec. 10: Iginla visits Calgary for the first time since the Flames traded their longtime captain this season.
Dec. 12: Marian Gaborik, dealt by the Rangers to the Blue Jackets at the deadline, makes his homecoming, though it won't be as meaningful with Tortorella gone.
Dec. 19: The Blue Jackets visit the Philadelphia Flyers with Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky likely in net. The Flyers shipped him out before last season because they were going with Ilya Bryzgalov. The Flyers picked up Steve Mason from the Blue Jackets in March and bought out Bryzgalov.
Jan. 1: The Winter Classic, between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Red Wings at Michigan Stadium, is expected to draw a record crowd.
Jan. 19: The Bruins visit the Blackhawks for a Stanley Cup Final rematch. The teams meet in Boston on March 27.
Jan. 25: The Stadium Series starts with the Los Angeles Kings hosting the Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium.
Jan. 26, 29: The Rangers play the New Jersey Devils and then the New York Islanders at Yankee Stadium. Feb. 9-25: The NHL takes a break for the Sochi Olympics. The league resumes play Feb. 26, three days after the gold medal game.
March 1: The Penguins visit the Blackhawks at Soldier Field.
March 2: The Senators visit the Canucks at BC Place for the Heritage Classic.
March 20: Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise visits New Jersey for the first time since signing a 13-year, $98 million contract last summer.
April 13: The regular season ends with 10 games. The playoffs start April 16.
The run-up to the men’s hockey tournament at the Sochi Olympics in February began in earnest Monday, as Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin headed the lists of players invited to the Olympic orientation camps for the United States, Canada and Russia. The orientation camp lists were released four days after the N.H.L. and the league’s players association officially agreed to participate in the Sochi Games. USA Hockey invited 48 players to its camp in suburban Washington in late August. Kane, the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs from the champion Chicago Blackhawks, is among 16 returnees from the United States team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
Also among the returnees are the Rangers captain Ryan Callahan; Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise, whose goal with 25 seconds left in regulation forced overtime in the 2010 gold medal game; Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, the M.V.P. of the 2010 Olympic tournament; and Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, the 2012 playoff M.V.P.
The Americans are strong in goal heading to Sochi, with Ottawa’s Craig Anderson, Detroit’s Jimmy Howard and the Devils’ Cory Schneider also among the goalies competing for a spot on the roster.
Goalie Tim Thomas, 39, was not invited back. Thomas, the 2011 playoff M.V.P., left the Boston Bruins and sat out last season after skipping the champion Bruins’ White House visit for political reasons. He spent the year in Colorado Springs and hoped to be chosen for the 2014 team. In 2010, Thomas said being chosen to play for the United States was something he had been waiting his whole life for.
Besides Crosby, whose overtime goal won the Olympic final in Vancouver, the 47 invitees to Team Canada’s late August camp in Calgary, Alberta, included the Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and 13 other returnees from the 2010 gold-medal-winning squad.
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur was not invited back. Brodeur, 41, represented Canada in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010 — every Olympics in which N.H.L. players participated. Other notable absences from the 2010 squad included the former Calgary captain Jarome Iginla, 36, who played in the last three Olympics, and Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, 28.
Goalie is a problematic position for the Canadians. Only Roberto Luongo returns from 2010, but he was embroiled in a goalie controversy with the Canucks for the last two seasons. Also vying for a spot are Chicago’s Corey Crawford, Montreal’s Carey Price, Phoenix’s Mike Smith and Washington’s Braden Holtby.
Hockey Canada also announced that the entire coaching staff from 2010 will be returning: Detroit Coach Mike Babcock, assisted by St. Louis Blues Coach Ken Hitchcock and Dallas Stars Coach Lindy Ruff.
Behind the bench for the Americans will be Pittsburgh Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma, in his first international experience.
Among the players trying to make their first Olympic team will be Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan and Marc Staal of the Rangers, and John Tavares, Kyle Okposo and Travis Hamonic of the Islanders.
Host Russia’s list of 35 invitees was highlighted by Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin of Pittsburgh and Pavel Datsyuk of Detroit.
Ilya Kovalchuk, who recently retired from the Devils to join SKA St. Petersburg, was one of 17 Kontinental Hockey League players on the list. In 2010, when Russia finished in sixth place, nine players on its 23-man roster were from the K.H.L.
A similarly high ratio of K.H.L. players is expected to skate for the Sbornaya, as the national team is known, in February.
Thirteen players from 2010 were invited back to the camp, to be held in late August in Sochi. They include goalie Evgeni Nabokov of the Islanders and the Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, whom the Philadelphia Flyers bought out and released this month, was not invited back.
Behind the bench for the Russians will be Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, whose résumé includes stints as an assistant with Winnipeg and Phoenix in the 1990s, three Russian championships as the coach of Ak Bars Kazan from 2006 to 2010, and the world championships as the coach of Russia in 2012.
New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello made it official Tuesday when he announced the signing of veteran right wing Jaromir Jagr to a reported one-year contract.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but Sportsnet is reporting the contract will pay Jagr $2 million this season. If he plays in at least 45 games, he will earn an extra $2 million in bonus money.
Jagr, who admitted he showed interest in at least three other clubs, said less travel, a familiarity within the Eastern Conference, and an opportunity to play with the Devils were reasons he decided to sign. He'll wear jersey No. 68.
"I'm 41 years old and do not have many more options," Jagr said on a conference call. "Not many teams are looking for a forward my age, especially with the salary cap going down. My agent [Petr Svoboda] asked if I would be willing to play for New Jersey and I was. I talked to Lou even before [Ilya] Kovalchuk retired and after he retired. "I felt it was even more important for me to play on the Devils roster [after Kovalchuk's NHL retirement]."
The Devils could certainly use Jagr in the lineup. The club has been in need of a proven scorer since the departure of Zach Parise via free agency in 2012 and Kovalchuk's surprise announcement earlier this month. Jagr had 16 goals and 19 assists last season.
Even with Kovalchuk and David Clarkson, who was lost via free agency earlier this month, the Devils were 28th in goals scored and 21st in power-play percentage in 2012-13 on the way to finishing 11th in Eastern Conference.
"I certainly watched him the last couple of years, with Philly and Boston in the playoffs," Lamoriello told The (Bergen) Record. "I've never seen him work so hard and make people around him better. I just felt with his experience and what he can bring to the power play, he still has the size and strength."
Jagr ranks 34th all-time in NHL games played (1,391), 10th in goals (681), 12th in assists (1,007) and eighth in points (1,688). Jagr's career spans 19 seasons with six teams, five from the Eastern Conference.
Jagr said he isn't worried about the rigors of an 82-game schedule.
"I know people will say we had a shortened season last year, but it was the longest season for me," Jagr said. "Counting my time in Europe and the NHL regular season and playoffs, I played in the most games ever in one season."
Jagr played 34 games for HC Kladno in the Czech Republic during the work stoppage before playing 67 with the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins.
"There was only one thing on my mind this year and that was to stay in the NHL," Jagr said. "I wasn't thinking about joining the KHL at all. If anything, I probably would have played in Prague [Czech Republic] if I didn't sign with an NHL team."
He was a big influence on many of the young players for the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2011-12 season, his first back in the NHL after three in Europe, when he had 19 goals and 54 points. He was equally valuable to the Stars in 34 games last season, posting 14 goals and 26 points before his trade to the Bruins on April 2.
The likely Hall of Fame member played on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand late in the season and playoffs during his stint in Boston. He also chipped in on the power play with the first unit.
Though Jagr did not score a goal in 22 postseason games for the Bruins, he did have 10 assists and ranked fourth on the team with 58 shots. He's goalless in 31 consecutive playoff games dating to 2011-12, marking the longest postseason drought of his career.
With the acquistion of Jagr, the Devils have the two active players from the 1990 NHL Draft. Jagr was selected fifth by the Pittsburgh Penguins and goalie Martin Brodeur was chosen No. 20.
Jaromir Jagr signs with New Jersey Devils - NHL Free Agency 2013
If all goes according to plan, the roof will be open at B.C. Place Stadium in March when the Vancouver Canucks host the Ottawa Senators in the Heritage Classic.
"If worse comes to worse and it needs to be a covered facility, it'll be a covered facility," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Tuesday. "We hope that's not the case."
Given B.C. Place's 59,841 seating capacity, Daly said he expects some tickets to be priced lower than usual Canucks games at Rogers Arena, but added that some will also be more expensive.
Meanwhile, Daly said the NHL is working with the players' association and International Ice Hockey Federation to see what can be done to reduce insurance cost for Olympic teams' summer orientation camps. Currently, the high cost of insurance is restricting Canadian and U.S. players to off-ice workouts.
Daly spoke to reporters before Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis and new head coach John Tortorella faced questions from fans at the NHL club's annual summer summit. Among the other topics discussed, Daly said the NHL will give strong consideration to the Pacific Northwest in the event of expansion or relocation, but declined to address Seattle specifically.
The city was considered a strong candidate for a potential move of the Phoenix Coyotes, who have resolved their arena-lease issues and are expected to stay in Arizona once the sale of the club is complete.
The league could look into possible expansion or other business growth after the sale closes.
"I think there's a willingness to consider (expansion)," said Daly, who also added he expects the size of goaltenders' equipment to be reduced this season.
Choosing Luongo
Meanwhile, Gillis and Tortorella discussed the Canucks' plans with fans heading into the 2013-14 season.
The club has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons and has just one post-season victory since losing Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins.
The lack of playoff success cost Alain Vigneault, the franchise's all-time winningest coach, his job in May after the Canucks were swept by the San Jose Sharks.
Tortorella, fired by the New York Rangers after they were eliminated in the second round by Boston, was hired as Vigneault's replacement, with the former Canucks coach taking over in the Big Apple. Gillis' choice of Tortorella as coach has been criticized, along with his handling of Vancouver's goaltending situation, which resulted in Cory Schneider's trade to the New Jersey Devils after the Canucks could not move Roberto Luongo and his mammoth contract.
Gillis defended his decision to trade Schneider and keep Luongo as the starting goaltender.
"We made our choice and our choice was to go with Roberto," Gillis told the fan summit.
He met with Luongo in Florida recently and said the two had a positive conversation, indicating the goaltender is looking forward to returning to the Canucks after he spent the past year expecting to be dealt.
"It wasn't strained or adversarial at all," Gillis said.
The Vancouver GM has also come under fire for the team's poor draft record under his watch. Only one Gillis draft choice, Cody Hodgson, now a member of the Buffalo Sabres as a result of a trade, has become a regular NHLer.
The Canucks will enter the 2013-14 season having won five straight Northwest Division titles, but Vancouver's schedule will be more difficult in the new Pacific Division following NHL realignment.
Gillis will also have to contend with a reduced salary cap that drops to $64.2 million US from $70.3 million.
He and Tortorella said they will give prospects a chance to make the club that has mostly established veterans.
"We have to," said Gillis. "We don't have a choice."
NHL hopes for open roof when Canucks host Heritage Classic
Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo switched agents Thursday according to reports.
J.P. Barry and partner Pat Brisson confirmed that they will now represent Luongo, who was formerly represented by Gilles Lupien. Lupien and Luongo's partnership is mostly remembered for Lupien helping the backstop garner a 12-year $64 million contract with the Canucks back in 2009.
There is no known reason as to why Luongo made the change, and Barry said he wasn't going to comment. "I think I am going to have to reserve comment for a while," Barry said per the Vancouver Sun. "We need to get up to speed and take some time. Obviously we are coming on to a difficult file and we need to give him proper advice and we need to take some time here"
Luongo and the Canucks have had a rocky relationship the past couple of seasons. Luongo lost his starting job to then-backup goaltender Cory Schneider back in the 2012 playoffs due to his poor play. Following the 2012 season, Luongo wanted to be traded but with his large salary it was hard for him to find a team with enough cap space to take on his deal.
Luongo attempted to step up after Schneider was sidelined with an injury for the opening two games of Vancouver's first-round series against the San Jose Sharks in the 2013 playoffs, but he allowed three goals in both games and the Canucks were eventually swept.
It seemed as though Schneider would be the goalie of the future for Vancouver and that Luongo, 34 would find a new team, however Schneider was traded to the New Jersey Devils during the 2013 NHL draft. Schneider and Martin Brodeur will now compete for the starting job in New Jersey--and possibly platoon--while Luongo will try to help Vancouver to its first Stanley Cup.
Luongo and the Canucks were one win away from the Stanley Cup in 2011, but blew a 2-0 and then a 3-2 series lead and lost a Game 7 on home ice to the Boston Bruins. Following that season, the relationship between Luongo and the franchise started to grow sour.
Despite that, Canucks general manager Mike Gillis says the team is confident in Luongo.
"I have full confidence in Roberto and I have full confidence that he'll be here, and that is how we are operating," Gillis told NHL-com.
Vancouver Canucks Goalie Roberto Luongo Switches Agents : NHL : Sports World News
The NHL free-agent market still has several quality players for general managers with limited salary cap space to pursue as they make the final adjustments to their rosters before training camps begin in September.
The goal for general managers at this stage of the offseason is finding value. Depth players are vitally important to winning in the playoffs, which is why veteran guys with postseason experience are the best targets for contending teams right now.
Let's take an updated look at the best unrestricted free agents available.
Pictures: NHL Free Agency 2013: Ranking the Best Players Still Available | Bleacher Report
1. Jones pairs with Weber: Seth Jones will have a rookie season similar in impact to last season's Minnesota Wild rookie Jonas Brodin. Like Brodin, Jones will be better defensively than you would expect for a teen-age defenseman. Like Brodin, Jones could end up paired with his team's No. 1 defenseman. Brodin was paired with Ryan Suter and Jones could end up with Shea Weber. Although Weber and Roman Josi were very strong together down the stretch, the Predators are lacking in experience on the blue line. The Predators' defense would be more balanced if Weber and Josi were apart.
2. Thomas will find work: Although there appears to be no love for Tim Thomas in the marketplace right now, it's not difficult to imagine a team turning to him in-season if its No. 1 goalie had a significant injury. Although Thomas sat out last season, he looked brilliant the last time we saw him play.
3. Crosby puts up 125: Not since 2009-10 has Sidney Crosby been healthy enough to play close to a full season. He seems overdue for good luck on the medical front. At 26, he's entering the prime of his career. When you look at his numbers last season, he was scoring at about a 127-point pace.
4. Coaching a safer profession? The Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers all sporting new hires behind the bench or coaches hired during the 2012-13 season. Several other coaches received extensions this summer. At least for now, there doesn't seem to be as many coaches on the hot seat as we have had in the past. Still, would you want to be Peter Laviolette if the Philadelphia Flyers had a bad start or how about Mike Yeo in Minnesota if the Wild stumbled out of the gate?
5. Luongo vs. Quick: Fans in Vancouver have the right to argue about whether GM Mike Gillis should have kept Roberto Luongo or Cory Schneider, but the truth is that Luongo might still be Canada's best option for Sochi. Let's not forget that this man has an Olympic gold medal and two World Championships titles on his resume. He's a proven winner in international competition. Plus, Canada is not rich in exceptional candidates. Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick's performance over the past two seasons clearly have moved him ahead of the Sabres' Ryan Miller on the unofficial depth chart. But no one has forgotten how well Miller played in Vancouver in 2010. U.S. GM David Poile has said the goalie choice will be made based on who is playing the best when the team is chosen.
6. No home-ice advantage: Oddsmakers and sportswriters seem to be looking at the Russians as the team to beat at the 2014 Olympics in their home country. With the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk up front, it's easy to understand that projection. It's an impressive group. The problem is that every country has an impressive collection of talent. The pressure to win could be overwhelming for the Russians. My early projection: 1. Canada. 2. Sweden. 3. USA.
7. Red Wings will soar in East: With the improvements the Detroit Red Wings made to their offense and the return of Darren Helm, they can finish second in the new Atlantic Division, just behind the Boston Bruins. The misconception about the Red Wings is that they have defensive issues, but they were actually a strong defensive team by season's end. Their issue centered on a lack of scoring depth. Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss will help eliminate that deficiency.
8. Jets still grounded: The move to the West won't immediately help the Winnipeg Jets. They might need 96 or 97 points to land a playoff spot in their new division alignment. They seem more like an 88-point team, maybe a 90- or 92-point team if they continue to progress.
9. Toronto will be better than Montreal: The Canadiens were six points better than the Maple Leafs in the 48-game 2012-13 NHL season. But with the additions of tough, goal scorer David Clarkson and goalie Jonathan Bernier, the Maple Leafs could be a 100- or 101-point team. The Canadiens could be a point or two behind, although they could also be a 104- or 105-point team if Carey Price has an exceptional season.
10. Devils will miss the playoffs again: If it happens, this would be the first time under GM Lou Lamoriello that the Devils have missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. Over the last 13 months, the Devils have lost Zach Parise, Clarkson and Kovalchuk. They were the lowest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference last season, and losing Kovalchuk makes that situation worse.
Every year there are NHL teams with high expectations, teams that have a lot of talent and seem primed to win a title. Sometimes, teams fail to live up to those expectations. This list examines the 10 most disappointing teams in NHL history.
To make this list, a team had to have a great regular season and be among the favorites to win a Stanley Cup. Then, once the playoffs began, the team failed miserably and was eliminated early in the postseason.
The more stars a team had and the more dominating they were during the regular season and the earlier they were eliminated from the playoffs, the higher they will be on this list. Teams that reached the Stanley Cup Final or conference final in the modern era are unlikely to qualify for a list that only has 10 teams on it.
Feel free to add a team you feel belongs on this list or that you feel should be higher or lower than it is ranked. As always, indicate why you feel the way you do.
Pictures: Ranking the 10 Most Disappointing Teams in NHL History | Bleacher Report
The St. Louis Blues signed defenceman Jay Bouwmeester to a five-year, $27 million contract extension Thursday even though he still has a year left on his current deal.
With the new contract, Bouwmeester is locked up by the Blues through the 2018-19 season. The deal averages out to $5.4 million a season.
“(The Blues) mentioned something at the end of the year that at some point over the summer they’d be in touch, throw things around and see where everyone’s at,” Bouwmeester said on NHL-com. “... It helped that we got on a pretty good roll and won a bunch of games. That makes things more fun and easier for everyone.
“The fact that it’s a real good young team, it seems like that they’ve got pretty much everyone signed now through at least the next couple of years. You’ve got that nucleus of guys that probably aren’t going anywhere. I had a lot of fun being part of it.”
Bouwmeester had one goal and six assists in 14 games with the Blues after being acquired from the Calgary Flames on April 1. In 47 games last season, he had seven goals and 15 assists.
If nothing else, Bouwmeester is durable, having played in 635 consecutive games, the most among active players and fifth most in NHL history.
NBA OWNER INTERESTED IN NHL?
Move over Seattle: Portland is also interested in an NHL franchise.
Over the summer, the NBA’s Trail Blazers were involved in negotiations for a potential move of the Phoenix Coyotes franchise to Portland.
Blazers owner Paul Allen was reportedly prepared to offer $200 million for the Coyotes before the team agreed to a 15-year lease agreement with the city of Glendale, Ariz., to run Jobing-com Arena.
“I never got the sense that Paul wasn’t interested in the NHL,” Chris McGowan, Blazers president/chief executive officer, told the Portland Tribune.
“Paul has always been interested in things that are good for Portland and the arena. It’s our job to bring opportunities to Paul. The NHL is just one of those. Our analysis led us to believe that potentially a team could work here. We were in the mix when it related to Portland as a potential option, but it didn’t work out, so it becomes moot.”
McGowan also said the Blazers “never made an offer” for the Coyotes, even though an extensive market analysis swayed Allen the NHL in Portland was good for business.
HENRIQUE ‘NOT WORRIED’
Restricted free agent centre Adam Henrique is not too concerned that he doesn’t have a new contract yet with the New Jersey Devils.
“Hopefully it will get done soon,” he told the Bergen Record. “There’s no real deadline or anything.”
Two weeks ago Henrique said he was close to inking a new deal, but now says there’s “nothing new” in negotiations.
“I’m not worried about it not getting done or anything like that,” he said. “There’s nothing really holding it up. It’s a matter of time. We want to make sure we get the best deal for both sides.”
LIDSTROM JERSEY TO RAFTERS
Plans are in place for the Detroit Red Wings to retire Nicklas Lidstrom’s No. 5 jersey.
The seven-time Norris Trophy winner will be honoured by the team in a ceremony before their March 6 game against the Colorado Avalanche at Joe Louis Arena.
Lidstrom joins Terry Sawchuk (No. 1), Ted Lindsay (No. 7), Gordie Howe (No. 9), Alex Delvecchio (No. 10), Sid Abel (No. 12) and Steve Yzerman (No. 19) in the arena’s rafters.
“For a long time, there was no doubt in ownership’s and management’s mind that Nicklas Lidstrom would play his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings and that his sweater would fittingly go up into the rafters along with the other all-time greatest Red Wing players — Abel, Delvecchio, Howe, Lindsay, Sawchuk and Yzerman,” Red Wings senior vice president Jimmy Devellano said.
Lidstrom retired on May 31, 2012 following a 20-year NHL career in which he won the Stanley Cup four times.
CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Hockey NHL - St Louis - Blues sign Bouwmeester to five-year, $27 million extension
The NHL has had many moments throughout its history, but only a few such as the Wayne Gretzky trade truly transcend the game. The addition of Gary Bettman as commissioner was another moment that still impacts the NHL today.
There are many moments to choose from, and here are 10 moments that permanently altered the history of the game.
Pictures: 10 Moments That Permanently Changed NHL History | Bleacher Report
The NHL announced Monday afternoon the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to a group headed by George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc. The transaction, which closed Monday, was approved by the League's Board of Governors – terminating League ownership of the club.
"The National Hockey League believes in Arizona as an NHL market and that these new owners can provide the Coyotes the opportunity to secure a stable, long-term future in Glendale," Commissioner Gary Bettman said of IceArizona AcquisitionCo., LLC. "We thank Mike Nealy, Don Maloney, Dave Tippett, team captain Shane Doan and all the players and staff for consistently going 'above and beyond' on behalf of the franchise during this long and complex process. We thank the Coyotes' devoted fans for their patient, perseverant support. We are extremely pleased that a positive resolution has been achieved for the fans, the city, the Coyotes and the League."
IceArizona is a group composed of several business leaders from across North America. Renaissance Sports and Entertainment, LLC will act as the managing partner of IceArizona.
"We are extremely pleased to have finalized the transaction with the NHL and to take ownership of the Coyotes franchise," said Gosbee, Chairman and Governor of the Coyotes. "We extend our sincere gratitude to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for their hard work and commitment to the Coyotes franchise and our great fans here in Arizona. We also thank the City Council members and residents of the City of Glendale for their tremendous support. Finally, to our fans and partners in the Valley, thank you for your continued loyalty, commitment and patience for the Coyotes. The future looks bright for our franchise."
"We are thrilled to be taking over a team led by one of the NHL's best general managers in Don Maloney, one of the best coaches in Dave Tippett, and the League's longest serving and most respected captain in Shane Doan," said LeBlanc, Alternate Governor and pending CEO of the franchise. "The Coyotes are here to stay and we will continue to work hard on and off the ice and have a strong presence in our community. Our ultimate goal is to bring a Stanley Cup championship to our tremendously resilient, passionate and dedicated fan base here in the Valley. We have a lot of work to do and we can't wait to get started."
NHL finalizes sale of Phoenix Coyotes - NHL-com - News
How safe is this record? Consider that the last player to have more than 140 points in one season was Mario Lemieux, who put up 160 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96. Twenty seasons of averaging 140 points wouldn't be enough to catch Gretzky's career record. Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins led the League in 2011-12, the most recent 82-game season, with 109 points.
Most career goals: 894
This is another mark that figures to last for a long time. The top goal-scorer among players 35 and younger is Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks with 434; for players 30 and younger, it's Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals; he turns 28 next month and enters the season with 371 goals. Hossa won't catch Gretzky, and Ovechkin would need a long run of big seasons just to get within shouting distance.
Most career assists: 1,963
Gretzky often seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, that's how good he was at finding teammates for what turned into easy goals. His assist total is 714 more than runner-up Ron Francis, and Gretzky has more assists than any player has points. The only active player with 1,000 assists is 41-year-old Jaromir Jagr of the New Jersey Devils, who has 1,007.
Most goals in a season: 92
Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins set the NHL single-season mark by scoring 76 goals in 1970-71; before that, no one had reached 60. Esposito's total was regarded at the time as a record for the ages. As things turned out, it lasted barely a decade before Gretzky blew it to pieces. The 21-year-old roared scored his 77th goal on Feb. 24, 1982, wound up the 1981-82 season with 92 -- and was disappointed he didn't get more.
Gretzky is second on the all-time single-season list with 87 goals in 1983-84. Brett Hull's 86 goals in 1990-91 are next. The only players in the 21st century to reach 60 goals are Alex Ovechkin (65 in 2008-09) and Steven Stamkos (60 in 2011-12).
Fewest games needed to score 50 goals: 39
Not surprisingly, this also happened in '81-82, and it was capped by perhaps the greatest night of Gretzky's career. No. 99 scored 45 goals in Edmonton's first 38 games when the Philadelphia Flyers came to Northlands Coliseum (now Rexall Place) on Dec. 30, 1981. Gretzky beat Pete Peeters four times to help the Oilers to a 6-5 lead, then set off an eruption when he hit the empty net for his fifth of the night and 50th of the season.
Only Maurice Richard and Mike Bossy had scored as many as 50 goals in 50 games. Gretzky is second on the list with 50 goals in 42 games in 1983-84. Lemieux is next with 50 in 46 games (though he played in 44) in 1988-89. Two players (Stamkos and Malkin) scored 50 goals in a full season in 2011-12.
Most goals in the first 50 games of a season: 61
Gretzky didn't stop scoring after connecting 50 times in the first 39 games in 1981-82, though he did slow down a bit. He had 11 goals in the Oilers' next 11 games to give him 61 through 50 games, a mark he matched two seasons later. Lemieux is next with 54 in 50 games in 1988-89.
Longest point-scoring streak: 51 games
Gretzky's numbers from 1981-82 (92 goals, 212 points) get all the attention, but he may have been at his best in 1983-84, when he opened the season by getting at least one point in Edmonton's first 51 games. Perhaps most astonishing is that the streak was ended by journeyman goaltender Markus Mattson and the defensively challenged Los Angeles Kings, who defeated Edmonton 4-2 on Jan. 28, 1984, the highlight of a season when L.A. surrendered 376 goals and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Gretzky averaged exactly 3.0 points a game during the streak. He could have taken the rest of the season off and his 153 points during the streak would have won the scoring title by 27.
Lemieux's 46-game streak in 1988-89 is the second-longest streak in NHL history. Gretzky also had streaks of 39 and 30 games. Sidney Crosby's 25-game points streak for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010-11 was the longest since Mats Sundin's 30 games with the Quebec Nordiques in 1992-93.
Most points in a season: 215
If 1981-82 and 1983-84 weren't Gretzky's best seasons, maybe 1985-86 was. The Great One broke his record of 212 points, set in '81-82, by scoring or assisting on 215 of Edmonton's 426 goals. It was the fourth and final 200-point season of his career; he's the only player to get that many in a season. Of the 13 seasons in which a player had 160 or more points in a season, nine belong to Gretzky and the other four to Lemieux, including 199 points in 1988-89.
Most assists in a season: 163
Setting up teammates was what Gretzky did best, and he was never better at it than 1985-86, when he piled up a record 163 assists, breaking the mark of 135 he had set the previous season. In fact, Gretzky owns the seven highest single-season assist totals in NHL history (a record in its own right). For comparison, the highest assist total in one season by a player in the 21st century is 96 by Joe Thornton in 2005-06, a season he split between the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks.
Most consecutive 40-goal seasons: 12
Granted, scoring 40 goals in a season is a lot tougher now than it was in the 1980s and '90s, but doing it 12 times in a row is a remarkable achievement in any era. Bossy is next with nine in a row. Ilya Kovalchuk (six seasons) and Ovechkin (five) had streaks snapped in 2010-11.
Most 100-point seasons: 15
Not only has Gretzky lapped the field in this category (Lemieux is next with 10; no one else has more than eight), in all but one of those seasons he put up at least 120 points. In 11 of those seasons he'd have reached 100 points without scoring a goal.
Most consecutive 100-point seasons: 13
This streak might have lasted a few more years, but a back injury that limited Gretzky to 45 games (and 65 points) in 1992-93 ended it, although ironically he led the Kings to their only Stanley Cup Final in the spring of 1993. Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins is next in consecu
Jacques Martin is back in the NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Friday they have hired the veteran coach as an assistant on Dan Bylsma's staff.
Martin, 60, previously was coach of the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens. He joins a Penguins staff that includes assistants Tony Granato and Todd Reirden.
"To have an opportunity to work with a great organization, some great people, a great coaching staff, a team that has won a Stanley Cup before and a great nucleus of core players, for me that's exciting," Martin said in a conference call. "If you look at this team, it's a team that has had a lot of success but is still a young team. Guys like [Sidney] Crosby and [Evgeni] Malkin, [Pascal] Dupuis, [Kris] Letang. There's a core of young players. I think it will be a good integration with me into the rest of the staff." Martin last coached with the Canadiens during the 2011-12 season and spent last season working as a television analyst. In his first season with Montreal, he knocked off the Penguins in the second round of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the way to the Eastern Conference Final.
His coaching career includes 1,294 games, 613 wins and 12 playoff appearances in 17 seasons. He ranks seventh among NHL coaches in games coached and 10th in wins. He won the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year with Ottawa in 1999 and was a finalist for the award on three other occasions.
The Penguins had been discussing the possibility of adding a third assistant to their coaching staff for some time. So when the opportunity to add a coach with Martin's background came along, Bylsma spearheaded these discussions.
"We looked for a number of years adding an additional coach to our staff. We weren't just looking for a coach. We were looking for a criteria of a coach and experience of a coach. That's where our conversations with Jacques began," Bylsma said. "I began speaking with Jacques numerous times in the last couple of months. The expertise of Jacques, his experience in the game at many different levels, is really what we want to add to our team."
Martin's hiring means he will enjoy a reunion with Penguins general manager Ray Shero, who was the assistant general manager in Ottawa when the team hired Martin to be its coach. The pair enjoyed tremendous success with the Senators, and Shero said he was excited when Bylsma alerted him he was talking with Martin.
"We were together for two-and-a-half years in Ottawa, but I had known Jacques before that through various people. It's been 15 years since we worked in Ottawa. But if you follow his career he's obviously done very well at the NHL level," Shero said. "I was very comfortable when Dan started talking to Jacques. I was 100 percent behind the decision for Jacques to join our staff. I'm excited to have Jacques aboard."
Martin was an associate coach for the 2002 Canadian Olympic team that won the gold medal in Salt Lake City and served in the same capacity for Canada at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy.
In addition to his coaching experience, he served in the dual role of general manager and coach with the Panthers from 2006-08. He was an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks, Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche, experience that Martin said will serve him well in his transition from being the main man to serving in a supporting role.
"A mentor of mine, Roger Neilson, happened to be an assistant of mine [in Ottawa] at the end of his career. I learned a great deal from Roger," Martin said. "I've always looked as coaching, whether I'm the head coach or assistant coach, as teamwork. We have different responsibilities, but I always felt I wanted my assistant coaches to be strong people that expressed themselves."
Bylsma said the Penguins are close to naming a goaltending coach to their staff. Longtime goalie coach Gilles Meloche stepped down June 12.
"We have three candidates right now we feel really strongly about," Bylsma said. "I anticipate that process not lasting more than weeks. But I'm not going to put a definite time frame on it."
Pittsburgh Penguins hire Jacques Martin as assistant coach - NHL-com - News
A few weeks ago, the various international organizations released preliminary 2014 Sochi Olympic rosters, but the final rosters for the tournament are not set in stone.
Each NHL organization has a chance to send at least one of their players to the Sochi Games, but who is each team's most likely Olympic star?
There are a number of players who could be selected, and here are the players who have skill and are best suited for the international atmosphere.
Pictures: Every NHL Team's Most Likely Olympic Star at 2014 Sochi Games | Bleacher Report
Reputed Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger (BUHL'-jur) says he'll forfeit the guns and $822,000 in cash that officials found in his California apartment, but he wants to keep one thing: a Stanley Cup ring.
In a document filed last week and signed by Bulger, the 83-year-old said the ring commemorating the NHL championship series was a gift from an unnamed "third party."
The document said both sides have agreed to not include the ring among the assets Bulger must forfeit. It asks the court to make a final decision.
Bulger was arrested in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2011 after 16 years on the run.
The jury is in its fifth day of deliberations in the trial of Bulger, who's charged in a 32-count racketeering indictment that includes 19 killings.
Last week on the 25th anniversary of the Wayne Gretzky trade, everybody waxed poetic about the contributions Wayne Gretzky made to bring hockey to other NHL sunbelt places after the Edmonton Oilers moved him to the Los Angeles Kings.
Teams in Anaheim, San Jose, Tampa, Florida, Nashville, Minnesota moving to Dallas. True Gretzky didn’t grow hockey attendance in Phoenix when he went there as a coach, but there wouldn’t have been a push to move the Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix in the mid 90s most likely without 99s influence as a player. There are countless kids who learned the game in Arizona making steps forward now.
Kids growing up in LA who got the hockey bug from No. 99 playing for the Kings in 1988, as well. Forwards Emerson Etem in Anaheim and Beau Bennett in Pittsburgh have made it all the way to the bigs and routinely we have rep teams from LA in The Brick tournament and the Peewee International in Quebec City. In large part because of Gretzky’s huge influence, which brings us to the next question.
When is the NHL going to repay Gretzky? I brought it up several time in interviews on the 25th anniversary story. All that expansion money owners got when they expanded to Anaheim, San Jose, Florida, Tampa and Nashville, for instance. Thanks, Gretz. True, some of those warm-weather franchises have been far from hits with the fans like the Panthers.
But, also as one twitter fan Dave Zuba said “the NHL owes him everything. They can thank him for new US markets, increased franchise values, larger US TV deal.” They can thank him for all of that. But the thanks goes a little deeper. Gretzky, by reports, is still owed about $8 million in apparently deferred salary from the Phoenix Coyotes when trucking magnate Jerry Moyes walked away, leaving the NHL holding the bag. True enough Gretzky’s deal as a Coyotes part owner apparently didn’t include taking losses in his role; that was all on Moyes. But there was still his salary.
The ownership merry-go-round has gone on for years in Phoenix. The NHL didn’t want Blackberry founder Jim Balsillie buying the club and moving it to southern Ontario, and folks like Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and businessman Matt Hulsizer looked at the books and backed away.
It’s been a week since Calgary moneyman George Gosbee, Anthony LeBlanc and the other deep pocket oil and gas guys bought the Desert Dogs for $170 million, much to the yippee, eye, yo from the other NHL owners who were footing the bills to keep the Coyotes afloat for four years. Now it’s maybe time for the owners to quietly repay Gretzky–he was a non-secured creditor when the Coyotes went bankrupt–and bring him into their fold. They need him.
A couple of years ago, writers like Steve Simmons in Toronto brought up the idea and he’s bang on.
Nobody’s saying Gosbee, a good man, should pay Gretzky by himself but how difficult would it be if the 30 owners divvied up what Gretzky is owed? That would be about $266,000 a team, pocket change in the grand scheme of things to repay the greatest player ever. Nobody’s saying Gretzky is broke and needs the money. He’s got lots although how rich would he be in today’s game if he was 25 not 52? I can assure you, Gretzky is waiting for an overture from the NHL; they should be making the step to pay him and bring him into their family.
He would be excellent in hockey ops or as a roving ambassador going to the 30 NHL outposts to talk the game. He keeps saying he’s got enough to keep him busy after being GM of Canada’s Olympic team in 2002 and 2006 but he’s like the hobby farmer right now, doing his endorsement stuff, popping into his restaurant in Tonto, seeing his boy Trevor playing outfield in class A ball for the Chicago Cubs. But he doesn’t have anything concrete. Bobby Orr has his agency representing players and Mario Lemieux owns the Pittsburgh Penguins but Gretzky has no defined role in hockey.
The NHL fans boo commissioner Gary Bettman every time he comes to a Canadian rink, especially. They wouldn’t boo Gretzky if he was in the house, anywhere, spreading the gospel–heck maybe he could give out the Stanley Cup to the winner. He’s had his hands on the mug four times as a player.
It’s long past time the NHL reached out to The Great One, who has lots to say and has always had a very sharp hockey mind. Canadian Olympic associate coach Ken Hitchcock reinforced that last week when speaking at a luncheon to raise money for The Brick Sport Central.
“We picked some of the wrong people in Turin in 2006…they couldn’t skate well enough on the big ice. I remember Gretz joking that he might just whack three or four guys with a stick on the leg, just so they were out for two or three weeks and we could play some other people over there,” laughed Hitchcock.
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Ex Oiler Gilbert Brule has officially signed a pro tryout offer with his last NHL club, the Coyotes. Brule, who had 17 goals and 20 assists for the Oilers in 2010-2011, has a legit shot at a fourth-line spot in Phoenix. For low money if he makes the club, most likelybut he’d be back in the NHL at 26 after being in the Swiss League for part of last season.
It’s time NHL repaid Wayne Gretzky for expanding their league | Edmonton Journal
The NHL is at least a season away from implementing a drug-testing program to detect human growth hormone, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an email Wednesday.
“Our Performance Enhancing Substances Program Committee (PESPC) has discussed on multiple occasions over the summer the process for development and implementation of an HGH testing program,” Daly said.
“Part of our initial action plan is to educate our Players about the issue and about our agreed-upon intention to develop and implement a reliable testing plan. I expect that education portion of the process to take place during Training Camp and over the first several months of the season. Development and actual implementation of a testing program will take a little more time. While I can’t give you an exact timetable, I think it is safe to assume no testing program with disciplinary consequences will be in place prior to the 2014/15 season at the earliest.” The NFL has stepped forward as the second of the four major sports leagues in North America to either test for HGH or tentatively agree to testing, according to a players union memo made public this week.
The NFL union has “tentatively agreed” to HGH testing, the memo said, and has also agreed to a protocol of punishment for positive tests.
The testing and punishment will be in place for the 2013 season, with the league joining Major League Baseball in testing for HGH.
The NBA discussed implementing HGH testing as recently as April, while the NHL has continued its own discussions throughout the summer, with some progress towards action.
One of the most contentious issues in HGH testing involves administering blood samples, and the safety and reliability of the testing itself. The NFL will reportedly require one blood sample from every player during training camp for the purpose of a “population study” — data that will help determine what level of HGH usage will entail discipline.
Afterwards, the league will randomly choose eight players from five teams each week during the regular season for testing.
Baseball adjusted its drug-testing program during the owners meetings in January to include HGH testing for the 2013 season; at the same time, the NHL was finalizing its collective bargaining agreement after the four-month lockout. The new CBA established the PESPC.
Daly said the NHL will not implement any HGH testing program until the league and its players union feel comfortable with it.
“While this is an issue that we are committed to working through with our Players’ Association, it’s not an area that we believe we have any material issues or problems with, and it’s certainly not an issue that we feel compelled to be “leaders” on,” Daly said.
“This area of the science is extremely technical and complicated and we all have to be comfortable with the reliability of any program we develop and ultimately implement.”
NHL delays testing for human growth hormone until 2014-15 season at earliest | Toronto Star
Gary Bettman pulled yet another rabbit out of his hat Thursday when he announced the New Jersey Devils were sold to two apparently well-heeled owners – Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who also own the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA.
The NHL commissioner accomplished this just a few weeks after fixing the league’s biggest financial sinkhole, at least in the short-term, by getting the Phoenix Coyotes sold. This left the Devils as the league’s biggest headache, as now former owner Jeff Vanderbeek had burdened the franchise with a debt of more than $200-million (all currency U.S.) and could not make his loan payments despite a financial restructuring with his creditors. But Bettman quickly brokered a sale to Harris and Blitzer after a deal with Philadelphia lawyer and hedge fund manager Andrew Barroway fell through. The NHL’s board of governors approved the deal on Wednesday night.
The group of investors led by Harris and Blitzer bought both the Devils and the operating rights to their arena, the Prudential Center, from Vanderbeek, who had been trying for several years to find investors but still maintain control of the franchise. Vanderbeek will allegedly keep a small share of the franchise and Harris said he will remain with the organization as a "senior advisor" but there was no sign of the former owner at Thursday’s press conference.
Neither Bettman nor the new owners would divulge the sale price or any other financial details of the transaction. While reports put a price of more than $320-million on the sale, the figure remains in question as such numbers historically in NHL sales are unreliable. It is common in such situations for the new owners to simply assume a franchise’s debts in a purchase with the former owner retiring from the field sadder but wiser.
"There’s been a lot of speculation and most of it has been wrong," was all Bettman would say about the sale price.
Both Harris and Blitzer, who described themselves as "Jersey guys", were quick to reassure Devils fans that team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello will remain with the team. Since Lamoriello became GM in 1987 the Devils have been a consistent contender, winning three Stanley Cups and appearing in two other Cup finals.
But one corporate move will see 76ers chief executive officer Scott O’Neil become CEO of the Devils and the company that operates the arena, Devils Arena Entertainment. He will take charge of the Devils’ business operations and the arena operations.
"Both [Blitzer] and I take the responsibility of being stewards of this great franchise seriously," Harris said. "We can rethink the way business is done and infuse the franchise with resources and give the Devils the chance to succeed.
"[Lamoriello] is an excellent asset for this organization. He will continue to play a key role in the success of this organization."
Lamoriello said once he was satisfied the new owners were committed to winning he was willing to stay.
"That was my major question," he said. "Everybody wants to win, but not everybody knows how. I felt they know how and in the right way."
Harris said he and his partners were attracted to the team because they believe there is growth ahead for both the city of Newark, N.J., where the Prudential Center is located, and the NHL.
"I think the NHL is going to experience long-term growth and I want to be part of it," he said.
They also liked the idea of controlling the arena where their new team plays. As owners of the 76ers, they are only tenants at their arena in Philadelphia. However, both Harris and Blitzer were quick to squelch any speculation they may move the 76ers 90 minutes up the highway to Newark.
"There have been some conspiracy theories I want to categorically shut down," Harris said. "The Sixers are staying in Philly."
Both Harris and Blitzer made their wealth by in money management. Harris is the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, said to be one of the largest private equity companies in the world. Blitzer is the senior managing director of the Blackstone Group, a private equity and investment banking company in New York.
NHL board of governors approves sale of Devils - The Globe and Mail
On the one hand, one’s eyes and video chronicles can underscore aspects of a hockey game that no statistics can uncover. On the other hand, there are times when one gets through watching a game and does not pick up on a given aspect of it until reading a statistics sheet.
Those looking for a breather from the debate over the NHL potentially expanding its team membership and/or which cities are worthy can take to a slightly alternative topic. Namely, should NHL statisticians expand the various stat sheets and, if so, what sorts of stats should be added?
There are many so-called “advanced statistics” that one can already find on various web pages, but they would be worth filing under their own column on the NHL’s official site.
Like any other statistic, these would not (and already do not) tell anybody’s full story. However, they should intrigue a fan to watch more studiously in hopes of deciphering why a player or team is among the leaders or trailers.
Here are five categories that, in comparison to currently kept stats, would be easy enough to track and could valuably improve assessments of a player or team’s strengths and weaknesses.
Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics for this slideshow were found via NHL-com.
Advanced Statistics Every NHL Fan Should Be Familiar with | Bleacher Report
The league will take a break in its schedule Feb. 9 and resume play Feb. 26 to accommodate the Olympic participation.
The tournament will run from Feb. 12-23 and the USA will be in a group with Russia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Although owners and players came out of the last collective bargaining agreement fight with a presumption that the NHL would continue Olympic participation, the league and the NHL Players' Association needed months of negotiations to work out their differences with the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation.
"The decision to participate in the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi was in many ways a difficult one, but one that we know will be well received by our players and, most importantly, by the vast majority of our fans and sports fans everywhere," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
NHL officials appreciate the exposure the Olympics bring to their sport, but they have been displeased about the logistics. For example, the NHL hasn't been able to show Olympic game highlights on the league's websites and television network. Owners and team general managers had no access to the NHL players. The league and NHLPA also were seeking more benefits for the players, players' family members and league guests.
"Having the opportunity to wear their nation's sweater in Sochi is something the players look forward to," NHLPA executive director Don Fehr said.
The NHL has been sending players to the Olympics since 1998. Canada has won two gold medals (2002 and 2010), the Czech Republic won in 1998 and Sweden took gold in 2006. The Americans won silver medals in the 2002 and 2010 Games, both of which were played in North America. It lost in the quarterfinals the other two times.
Seven NHL referees and six NHL linesmen will join the IIHF on-ice officials' crews. The tournament will be played according to the IIHF rulebook on the wider international ice surface.
"I think speed will be even more important with that big ice," Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, who scored the gold-medal clincher in Vancouver, said during a conference call. "Obviously physical play is always important, but I think with the bigger ice it's probably going to be a little bit tougher to establish that. So I think speed and skill is really going to be a big part of that game."
USA Hockey has said that the bigger surface, 15 feet wider than NHL rinks, could affect who it brings to Sochi.
The USA, which has named David Poile as general manager and Dan Bylsma as coach, will invite 40 players to the Washington Capitals' practice facility in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 26-27 for an orientation camp.
Defending champion Canada will hold a camp in late August in Calgary. Hockey Canada expects to name a coaching staff soon. Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock was the winning coach at the Vancouver Games.
NHL agrees to send players to Olympics