NHL: Free Agency, Trade, Injury, and Rookie News!
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Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Tauric said:
Geez, I take a night off from reporting and all "Hull" breaks loose.
Here's the headline...
Brett Hull announces retirement
Canadian Press
10/15/2005 11:39:32 PM
GLENDALE, Ariz. (CP-AP) - Ultimately, Brett Hull couldn't turn back time, especially after spending 18 months waiting for the NHL to get its house in order.
After playing just five games with the Phoenix Coyotes this season, the 41-year-old decided to hang up his skates for good on Saturday, ending a 20-year career that saw him become the third highest goal scorer in NHL history.
"I realized I wasn't who I thought I was," Hull said, his voice choking with emotion. "I wasn't Brett Hull at 30 or 35 even. I was 41 years old and after a year and a half layoff, I didn't have what it took to play in the new game that was so exciting."
Hull, who scored 741 goals and 1,391 points, had to stop to gain control of his emotions, with his three children, fiance and several former teammates looking on.
The announcement came two hours before the Coyotes faced his former team, the Detroit Red Wings.
"There's an old expression, and I don't know who said it - `The mind is willing but the body isn't,"' Hull said. "I wish no one had to do this because it's so hard, it's hard because you never think you're going to grow older and be unable to live up to the expectations you set for yourself."
Hull signed as a free agent with the Coyotes on Aug. 6, 2004, lured by Wayne Gretzky, who was leaning toward becoming the team's coach.
"While we respect the decision Brett has made today, we regret seeing him go," Coyotes GM Mike Barnett told the Canadian Press in a telephone interview.
Hull first broached the retirement subject with Gretzky and Barnett after Thursday night's 5-4 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators.
Gretzky and Barnett told Hull to take a day or two to mull it over before making a final decision. Hull met with Barnett and Gretzky on Saturday morning and told them he was indeed going to retire.
"The National Hockey League will miss Brett's skill, his scoring touch and his fun-loving attitude," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. "He was a splendid athlete, a passionate player and someone who never hesitated to speak his mind. His achievements further cement the Hull family legacy of hockey greatness."
When Hull joined the Coyotes, he found it hard to keep up with the younger players. He had one assist in the five games he played.
Only Gretzky and Gordie Howe have more goals than Hull in NHL history.
"I was probably more emotional today about him retiring than I was the day I retired," Gretzky said. "It's a new beginning for him and his family. I told him today he's going to look forward with a lot of great times with his kids and his fiance. His records speak for themselves. He's a consummate professional. My dad told me today that I ran an 800 goal-scorer out of hockey."
Hull was slated to earn $1.69 million US this season.
The Coyotes will likely get some salary cap relief with his retirement. If Hull signs a Voluntarily Retired List league form - which means he can't return to the NHL for a year - then his salary, minus his the first paycheque which arrived Friday, is wiped off the books for Phoenix. A source indicated he would sign the form.
Before the Coyotes' home opener a week ago, Hull's father, Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, had his No. 9 "un-retired" so his son Brett could wear it this season. The Hulls are the only father-son players to each top 600 goals.
Brett Hull's career started with Calgary during the 1986 Stanley Cup final and took him through St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix. He is second on the NHL career list for power-play goals (265) and third in game-winning goals (110).
He won Stanley Cup titles in 1999 with Dallas and 2002 with Detroit. In 1999, he scored a controversial goal in the third overtime to give the Stars a 2-1 victory over Buffalo in the series-ending sixth game.
"I'll never forget that," said Maple Leafs goalie Ed Belfour, who played with Hull in Dallas. "It was the first and only Cup I've won so I'm thankful.
"He was just an unbelievably skilled player who always scored the big goals for us. And he also had a sense of humour, there were a lot of good jokes in the locker-room."
Hull played in nine All-Star games and was the league MVP in 1991. Hull played for the United States in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics, as well as in three World Cups. He was part of the gold medal World Cup team in 1996.
Hull said he wanted to stay in the game, perhaps in management, but never as a coach.
"I don't care what anyone says," he said, "it's the best sport there is."
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Canadiens to retire No. 12 and No. 5
TSN.ca Staff
10/15/2005 3
44 PM
MONTREAL (CP) - Three more players from the Montreal Canadiens' glory years will have their jerseys retired.
The NHL club announced Saturday it would retire No. 5 for Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion, said to be the inventor of the slapshot, and No. 12 for both Dickie Moore and Yvan Cournoyer.
"I never thought they'd retire my sweater," said Geoffrion, 74, who flew in from his home in Atlanta for the announcement. "Dickie was my best friend. There's a young man here who replaced me, Yvan.
"To give my two sons and my daughter a chance to see their father's jersey raised is quite an honour."
No. 12 will be retired on Nov. 12 before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs while No. 5 will go up to the Bell Centre ceiling on March 11 before a game against the New York Rangers.
The Canadiens will then have nine retired numbers - one fewer than the Boston Bruins.
Already retired are No. 1 for Jacques Plante, No. 2 for Doug Harvey, No. 4 for Jean Beliveau, No. 7 for Howie Morenz, No. 9 for Maurice (Rocket) Richard, No. 10 for Guy Lafleur and No. 16 for Henri Richard.
The Canadiens plan to retire more numbers each year leading up to the club's 100th anniversary in 2009.
Geoffrion was the second player in NHL history after Rocket Richard to score 50 goals in a season in 1960-61, but he was not always the most popular Canadien.
When he won his first Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring leader in 1954-55, he passed the hugely popular Maurice Richard after the Rocket was suspended for the final three games of the season.
Some felt he should have let up so that Richard could win.
"I was playing for a team that was fighting with Detroit to finish in first place," said Geoffrion. "He was three points ahead of me and I surpassed the Rocket in Detroit.
"When I got back to Montreal, a lot of people didn't like what I did, but I was fighting for my team, not for one guy. I remember Doug Harvey and Jean Beliveau told me, `look Bernie, if you have a chance to score, don't shoot in the stands. Just win the hockey game."
Geoffrion's wife Marlene, who is the daughter of Morenz, said Geoffrion told her that "when people ask why it took so long to have my number retired, I'll say `they thought I'd make a comeback so they were holding my number."'
Geoffrion said he started using the slapshot one day as a teenager when he got frustrated at not being able to hit the net with a wrist shot and took at swipe at the puck.
"I saw that and said, `a-ha."' he said. "It cost my father a lot of money for sticks after that."
Geoffrion played 766 games for Montreal, scoring 371 goals and adding 388 assists. He was rookie of the year in 1952 and was named league MVP in 1960-61. The six-time Stanley Cup winner was named to the Hall of Fame in 1972.
After retiring as a player, be briefly coached the Canadiens with his son Dan on the team and later coached the Rangers and the defunct Atlanta Flames.
Moore, who won six Stanley Cups with the Canadiens from 1951 to 1963, won scoring titles in 1957-58 and 1958-59, when his 96 points set a league record at the time. His first title was won while playing with a cast on his broken left wrist late in the season.
"It's hard to explain how honoured I am," said Moore, 74, who like Geoffrion is a Montreal native. "I was very proud to come out of the Park Extension and make the big CH team."
Moore found himself two points ahead of linemate Henri Richard late in the 1958-59 season, but there was no controversy that time.
"The coach said Henri was second and we should give him a chance to win the scoring title," said Moore. "The two brothers said stay with us and told the coach they wanted me to stay on their line.
"This was the greatest feeling I ever had. The two brothers supported me. I had a lot to be thankful for."
Moore had 254 goals and 340 assists in 654 games for the Canadiens and was named to the Hall of Fame in 1974. After retiring, he built a successful construction equipment business.
Cournoyer won 10 Stanley Cups from 1963 to 1979 and also played for Canada in the 1972 Summit series against the Soviet Union.
A stocky right-winger with blazing speed, the Roadrunner had 428 goals and 435 assists in 968 games and was team captain from 1975 to 1979. He later was a Canadiens assistant coach and now works as an public relations ambassador for the team.
"The 10 Stanley Cups, that was with the help of my teammates," said Cournoyer, 61. "My first three years, I only played on power plays. Imagine how much ice time I'd get this season?
"But the Stanley Cups, the Summit series, the Hall of Fame and now having my jersey retired - it couldn't end up better."
Beliveau and Henri Richard were among those who attended the announcement at the Bell Centre.
TSN.ca Staff
10/15/2005 3
44 PMMONTREAL (CP) - Three more players from the Montreal Canadiens' glory years will have their jerseys retired.
The NHL club announced Saturday it would retire No. 5 for Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion, said to be the inventor of the slapshot, and No. 12 for both Dickie Moore and Yvan Cournoyer.
"I never thought they'd retire my sweater," said Geoffrion, 74, who flew in from his home in Atlanta for the announcement. "Dickie was my best friend. There's a young man here who replaced me, Yvan.
"To give my two sons and my daughter a chance to see their father's jersey raised is quite an honour."
No. 12 will be retired on Nov. 12 before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs while No. 5 will go up to the Bell Centre ceiling on March 11 before a game against the New York Rangers.
The Canadiens will then have nine retired numbers - one fewer than the Boston Bruins.
Already retired are No. 1 for Jacques Plante, No. 2 for Doug Harvey, No. 4 for Jean Beliveau, No. 7 for Howie Morenz, No. 9 for Maurice (Rocket) Richard, No. 10 for Guy Lafleur and No. 16 for Henri Richard.
The Canadiens plan to retire more numbers each year leading up to the club's 100th anniversary in 2009.
Geoffrion was the second player in NHL history after Rocket Richard to score 50 goals in a season in 1960-61, but he was not always the most popular Canadien.
When he won his first Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring leader in 1954-55, he passed the hugely popular Maurice Richard after the Rocket was suspended for the final three games of the season.
Some felt he should have let up so that Richard could win.
"I was playing for a team that was fighting with Detroit to finish in first place," said Geoffrion. "He was three points ahead of me and I surpassed the Rocket in Detroit.
"When I got back to Montreal, a lot of people didn't like what I did, but I was fighting for my team, not for one guy. I remember Doug Harvey and Jean Beliveau told me, `look Bernie, if you have a chance to score, don't shoot in the stands. Just win the hockey game."
Geoffrion's wife Marlene, who is the daughter of Morenz, said Geoffrion told her that "when people ask why it took so long to have my number retired, I'll say `they thought I'd make a comeback so they were holding my number."'
Geoffrion said he started using the slapshot one day as a teenager when he got frustrated at not being able to hit the net with a wrist shot and took at swipe at the puck.
"I saw that and said, `a-ha."' he said. "It cost my father a lot of money for sticks after that."
Geoffrion played 766 games for Montreal, scoring 371 goals and adding 388 assists. He was rookie of the year in 1952 and was named league MVP in 1960-61. The six-time Stanley Cup winner was named to the Hall of Fame in 1972.
After retiring as a player, be briefly coached the Canadiens with his son Dan on the team and later coached the Rangers and the defunct Atlanta Flames.
Moore, who won six Stanley Cups with the Canadiens from 1951 to 1963, won scoring titles in 1957-58 and 1958-59, when his 96 points set a league record at the time. His first title was won while playing with a cast on his broken left wrist late in the season.
"It's hard to explain how honoured I am," said Moore, 74, who like Geoffrion is a Montreal native. "I was very proud to come out of the Park Extension and make the big CH team."
Moore found himself two points ahead of linemate Henri Richard late in the 1958-59 season, but there was no controversy that time.
"The coach said Henri was second and we should give him a chance to win the scoring title," said Moore. "The two brothers said stay with us and told the coach they wanted me to stay on their line.
"This was the greatest feeling I ever had. The two brothers supported me. I had a lot to be thankful for."
Moore had 254 goals and 340 assists in 654 games for the Canadiens and was named to the Hall of Fame in 1974. After retiring, he built a successful construction equipment business.
Cournoyer won 10 Stanley Cups from 1963 to 1979 and also played for Canada in the 1972 Summit series against the Soviet Union.
A stocky right-winger with blazing speed, the Roadrunner had 428 goals and 435 assists in 968 games and was team captain from 1975 to 1979. He later was a Canadiens assistant coach and now works as an public relations ambassador for the team.
"The 10 Stanley Cups, that was with the help of my teammates," said Cournoyer, 61. "My first three years, I only played on power plays. Imagine how much ice time I'd get this season?
"But the Stanley Cups, the Summit series, the Hall of Fame and now having my jersey retired - it couldn't end up better."
Beliveau and Henri Richard were among those who attended the announcement at the Bell Centre.
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Long arm of NHL law coming to Havlat
TSN.ca Staff
10/16/2005 11:26:52 AM
The long arm of NHL law is coming to Martin Havlat and the Ottawa Senators.
Sources say the NHL is reviewing a kicking incident last night in the Ottawa-Boston game at the Corel Centre. Havlat, after being knocked into the back of the net, kicked Boston defenceman Hal Gill. A suspension is expected.
Havlat was not penalized on the play, but the kick was duly noted by the NHL's hockey operations department. While no disciplinary hearing has been scheduled, it is expected one will occur before the Senators play their next game on Friday at Tampa Bay.
Working against Havlat is that he previously received a two-game suspension from the NHL for kicking defenceman Eric Cairns when the big blueliner was a member of the New York Islanders. Being a repeat offender is likely to net Havlat a longer sentence this time around.
There is no word yet on whether the disciplinary hearing will be held via telephone or in person.
In-person hearings generally carry a stiffer suspension than telephone hearings, although the standards for those have been changed with the new CBA.
In the past, a telephone hearing was for cases where the expected punishment was four or less games whereas in-person hearings generally meant a five-or-more game suspension. Now, if it desires, the NHL can impose up to a five or six -game suspension on a telephone hearing.
TSN.ca Staff
10/16/2005 11:26:52 AM
The long arm of NHL law is coming to Martin Havlat and the Ottawa Senators.
Sources say the NHL is reviewing a kicking incident last night in the Ottawa-Boston game at the Corel Centre. Havlat, after being knocked into the back of the net, kicked Boston defenceman Hal Gill. A suspension is expected.
Havlat was not penalized on the play, but the kick was duly noted by the NHL's hockey operations department. While no disciplinary hearing has been scheduled, it is expected one will occur before the Senators play their next game on Friday at Tampa Bay.
Working against Havlat is that he previously received a two-game suspension from the NHL for kicking defenceman Eric Cairns when the big blueliner was a member of the New York Islanders. Being a repeat offender is likely to net Havlat a longer sentence this time around.
There is no word yet on whether the disciplinary hearing will be held via telephone or in person.
In-person hearings generally carry a stiffer suspension than telephone hearings, although the standards for those have been changed with the new CBA.
In the past, a telephone hearing was for cases where the expected punishment was four or less games whereas in-person hearings generally meant a five-or-more game suspension. Now, if it desires, the NHL can impose up to a five or six -game suspension on a telephone hearing.
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Gaborik to dress for Wild on Wednesday
TSN.ca Staff
10/16/2005 12:31:49 PM
Minnesota Wild sniper Marian Gaborik will be back in the lineup on Wednesday when the team plays host to the San Jose Sharks.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Sunday that general manager Doug Risebrough told Gaborik over the weekend after deliberating with his coaching staff.
Gaborik initially declared himself fit to play against Anaheim after nursing a strained groin for the past month.
"I made the call here. I know Gabby feels good. He's not 100 percent," Risebrough told the paper. "Even when he goes back in, he's not going to be 100 percent because I know how groin injuries are. But he'll be a lot closer to 100 percent, and he'll be more ready in two days than he is now."
Gaborik has missed the team's first five games, a stretch in which they went 2-2-1.
He initially hurt himself while scrimmaging with teammates Sept. 8, and aggravated the injury in the first 15 minutes of camp five days later.
Files from the St. Paul Pioneer Press were used for this report.
TSN.ca Staff
10/16/2005 12:31:49 PM
Minnesota Wild sniper Marian Gaborik will be back in the lineup on Wednesday when the team plays host to the San Jose Sharks.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Sunday that general manager Doug Risebrough told Gaborik over the weekend after deliberating with his coaching staff.
Gaborik initially declared himself fit to play against Anaheim after nursing a strained groin for the past month.
"I made the call here. I know Gabby feels good. He's not 100 percent," Risebrough told the paper. "Even when he goes back in, he's not going to be 100 percent because I know how groin injuries are. But he'll be a lot closer to 100 percent, and he'll be more ready in two days than he is now."
Gaborik has missed the team's first five games, a stretch in which they went 2-2-1.
He initially hurt himself while scrimmaging with teammates Sept. 8, and aggravated the injury in the first 15 minutes of camp five days later.
Files from the St. Paul Pioneer Press were used for this report.
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Oilers retire Coffey's No. 7 on Tuesday
Canadian Press
10/16/2005 4:09:17 PM
EDMONTON (CP) - Paul Coffey comes home Tuesday to the scene of his greatest hockey triumphs and to a city that witnessed both a bitter breakup and the beginning of the end of an NHL dynasty.
The 44-year-old Hall of Fame defenceman will have his No. 7 retired and raised to the rafters at Rexall Place when the Phoenix Coyotes - and former teammate Wayne Gretzky, now Phoenix's head coach - come to town.
Coffey, drafted sixth overall by the Oilers in 1980, played in 21 NHL campaigns and became famous for his free-wheeling skating and end-to end-rushes. He played his first seven seasons in Edmonton and was a key member of three of the franchise's five Stanley Cup-winning teams.
But in the fall of 1987 he refused to report, demanding instead a contract renegotiation. Two months and many headlines later he was dealt to the lowly Pittsburgh Penguins.
That deal, Coffey said, hit home about two weeks later.
"I remember looking around that (Penguins) dressing room thinking to myself `What have I done? I've just left arguably the best hockey machine of the '80s,' " Coffey said recently from his car dealership, north of Toronto. "But I remember saying to myself `This is what it is. This is where you are. Work hard and let's get out of it.' "
He was among the league's elite at the time. In 1985-'86, Coffey set an NHL record for defencemen by scoring 48 goals.
He was on the fifth year of a six-year contract worth about $320,000 Cdn. Media reports at the time said he wanted that boosted to about $600,000 or higher to put him in line with the Boston Bruins' Ray Bourque.
Eighteen years later, Coffey says money wasn't the deal-breaker. It was the sheer nastiness of the dispute.
And it was nasty.
When Coffey refused to report, then-general manager Glen Sather publicly mused about "greed" corroding championship teams. The Oilers offered him a new deal that included unnamed real estate.
Pass, said Coffey.
The Oilers struggled on the ice.
They fined Coffey $250 a day, hinted at suing for breach of contract. Coffey said he wanted what was fair.
Then, Oilers owner Peter Pocklington's private negotiating-table comments about Coffey spilled into the public spotlight.
"I said that many times he appeared to lack intestinal fortitude in games and didn't seem to have the balls to go into the corner for the puck. I realize he had a bad back and perhaps that was the reason," Pocklington said in published report.
Coffey, who had once gutted it out by playing on a broken foot, responded swiftly: "It's impossible for me to go back and put on that hockey sweater again."
Half a generation later, Coffey shakes his head.
"It got so out of whack," he said. "It became personal. It became stupid.
"It would have been nice to play a few more years in Edmonton. It would have been nice to properly say goodbye and appreciate all they had given me, but there was no chance for any of that."<
Coffey went on to win another Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1991 and later played for Los Angeles, Detroit, Hartford, Philadelphia, Chicago, Carolina and Boston. With Detroit, he won his third Norris Trophy as the league's top defenceman.
Coffey ended his career as the 10th leading scorer in NHL history with 396 goals and 1,135 assists in 1,409 regular-season games.
He is second only to Bourque in terms of points by a defenceman.
Coffey's Oiler teammate Kevin Lowe, now the team's general manager, says he remembers Coffey as a perfect skating machine, a harmony of leg strength and grace, an artist working in brown Bauers on an ice-white canvas.
"In terms of an era of fast-paced hockey, Paul was the cutting-edge guy," Lowe said.
Coffey's defensive partner Charlie Huddy, now an Oiler coach, agreed the speed of the end-to-end rush made No. 7 unforgettable.
"A lot of times he'd get to the red line or the other blue-line and end up coasting the rest of the way," he said. "He just had an unbelievable way he could glide, as strong as he was."
Coffey's departure proved to be the beginning of the end for the `80s Oilers.
Gretzky followed him a year later in a trade to the Kings. Others like Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Lowe all left too.
But Coffey says he doesn't look in that rear-view mirror.
"In a perfect world, everybody could have been happy, everybody could have been treated fairly, we could have stayed together 15 years," he said. "Who knows?
"But we all know that didn't happen, so I don't think about it."
Canadian Press
10/16/2005 4:09:17 PM
EDMONTON (CP) - Paul Coffey comes home Tuesday to the scene of his greatest hockey triumphs and to a city that witnessed both a bitter breakup and the beginning of the end of an NHL dynasty.
The 44-year-old Hall of Fame defenceman will have his No. 7 retired and raised to the rafters at Rexall Place when the Phoenix Coyotes - and former teammate Wayne Gretzky, now Phoenix's head coach - come to town.
Coffey, drafted sixth overall by the Oilers in 1980, played in 21 NHL campaigns and became famous for his free-wheeling skating and end-to end-rushes. He played his first seven seasons in Edmonton and was a key member of three of the franchise's five Stanley Cup-winning teams.
But in the fall of 1987 he refused to report, demanding instead a contract renegotiation. Two months and many headlines later he was dealt to the lowly Pittsburgh Penguins.
That deal, Coffey said, hit home about two weeks later.
"I remember looking around that (Penguins) dressing room thinking to myself `What have I done? I've just left arguably the best hockey machine of the '80s,' " Coffey said recently from his car dealership, north of Toronto. "But I remember saying to myself `This is what it is. This is where you are. Work hard and let's get out of it.' "
He was among the league's elite at the time. In 1985-'86, Coffey set an NHL record for defencemen by scoring 48 goals.
He was on the fifth year of a six-year contract worth about $320,000 Cdn. Media reports at the time said he wanted that boosted to about $600,000 or higher to put him in line with the Boston Bruins' Ray Bourque.
Eighteen years later, Coffey says money wasn't the deal-breaker. It was the sheer nastiness of the dispute.
And it was nasty.
When Coffey refused to report, then-general manager Glen Sather publicly mused about "greed" corroding championship teams. The Oilers offered him a new deal that included unnamed real estate.
Pass, said Coffey.
The Oilers struggled on the ice.
They fined Coffey $250 a day, hinted at suing for breach of contract. Coffey said he wanted what was fair.
Then, Oilers owner Peter Pocklington's private negotiating-table comments about Coffey spilled into the public spotlight.
"I said that many times he appeared to lack intestinal fortitude in games and didn't seem to have the balls to go into the corner for the puck. I realize he had a bad back and perhaps that was the reason," Pocklington said in published report.
Coffey, who had once gutted it out by playing on a broken foot, responded swiftly: "It's impossible for me to go back and put on that hockey sweater again."
Half a generation later, Coffey shakes his head.
"It got so out of whack," he said. "It became personal. It became stupid.
"It would have been nice to play a few more years in Edmonton. It would have been nice to properly say goodbye and appreciate all they had given me, but there was no chance for any of that."<
Coffey went on to win another Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1991 and later played for Los Angeles, Detroit, Hartford, Philadelphia, Chicago, Carolina and Boston. With Detroit, he won his third Norris Trophy as the league's top defenceman.
Coffey ended his career as the 10th leading scorer in NHL history with 396 goals and 1,135 assists in 1,409 regular-season games.
He is second only to Bourque in terms of points by a defenceman.
Coffey's Oiler teammate Kevin Lowe, now the team's general manager, says he remembers Coffey as a perfect skating machine, a harmony of leg strength and grace, an artist working in brown Bauers on an ice-white canvas.
"In terms of an era of fast-paced hockey, Paul was the cutting-edge guy," Lowe said.
Coffey's defensive partner Charlie Huddy, now an Oiler coach, agreed the speed of the end-to-end rush made No. 7 unforgettable.
"A lot of times he'd get to the red line or the other blue-line and end up coasting the rest of the way," he said. "He just had an unbelievable way he could glide, as strong as he was."
Coffey's departure proved to be the beginning of the end for the `80s Oilers.
Gretzky followed him a year later in a trade to the Kings. Others like Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Lowe all left too.
But Coffey says he doesn't look in that rear-view mirror.
"In a perfect world, everybody could have been happy, everybody could have been treated fairly, we could have stayed together 15 years," he said. "Who knows?
"But we all know that didn't happen, so I don't think about it."
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Isles' DiPietro returns to ice Monday
Associated Press
10/16/2005 5:35:22 PM
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) - New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro will return to practice on Monday, four days after he sustained a concussion.
DiPietro was injured during Thursday night's 5-3 win at Washington when he was hit in the head by Jeff Halpern's leg as DiPietro was diving for a loose puck midway through the second period.
"He looks good and feels well," Islanders general manager Mike Milbury said Sunday. "He has been cleared to play by our doctors.
Garth Snow replaced DiPietro - and got the win - against the Capitals and then started Saturday at Philadelphia, making 41 saves in a 5-1 loss to the Flyers.
"If it wasn't for Garth, it might have been 20-1," Islanders coach Steve Stirling said.
New York sent Wade Dubielewicz back to Bridgeport of the AHL. Dubielewicz served as Snow's backup on Saturday night.
The Islanders will practise on Monday and Tuesday before starting a home-and-home series against the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
Associated Press
10/16/2005 5:35:22 PM
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) - New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro will return to practice on Monday, four days after he sustained a concussion.
DiPietro was injured during Thursday night's 5-3 win at Washington when he was hit in the head by Jeff Halpern's leg as DiPietro was diving for a loose puck midway through the second period.
"He looks good and feels well," Islanders general manager Mike Milbury said Sunday. "He has been cleared to play by our doctors.
Garth Snow replaced DiPietro - and got the win - against the Capitals and then started Saturday at Philadelphia, making 41 saves in a 5-1 loss to the Flyers.
"If it wasn't for Garth, it might have been 20-1," Islanders coach Steve Stirling said.
New York sent Wade Dubielewicz back to Bridgeport of the AHL. Dubielewicz served as Snow's backup on Saturday night.
The Islanders will practise on Monday and Tuesday before starting a home-and-home series against the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
I think Stevie might need to stop...
Out Again: Yzerman tweaks groin injury
TSN.ca Staff
10/17/2005 1152 AM
Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman tweaked his groin injury over the weekend and will not be in the lineup when the team hosts the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
Yzerman re-aggravated the injury just one game after he made his season debut.
Saturday was only Yzerman's second game since being sidelined with a groin injury suffered during training camp.
He leads all active players with 1,721 points.
After the NHL lockout canceled last season, the 40-year-old Yzerman chose to sign a one-year contract to return to Detroit for a 22nd season. The captain had to be helped off the ice in his last game after a puck broke bones near his eye during the 2004 NHL playoffs.
Files from the Detroit News were used for this report.
Out Again: Yzerman tweaks groin injury
TSN.ca Staff
10/17/2005 11
52 AMDetroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman tweaked his groin injury over the weekend and will not be in the lineup when the team hosts the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
Yzerman re-aggravated the injury just one game after he made his season debut.
Saturday was only Yzerman's second game since being sidelined with a groin injury suffered during training camp.
He leads all active players with 1,721 points.
After the NHL lockout canceled last season, the 40-year-old Yzerman chose to sign a one-year contract to return to Detroit for a 22nd season. The captain had to be helped off the ice in his last game after a puck broke bones near his eye during the 2004 NHL playoffs.
Files from the Detroit News were used for this report.
Last edited:
Knightfall
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LaFontaine, Gare to have numbers retired
Canadian Press
10/17/2005 11:38:39 AM
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - After departing Buffalo in controversial style, Pat LaFontaine and the Sabres have officially buried the hatchet.
On Monday, the Sabres retired LaFontaine's No. 16 and former right wing Danny Gare's No. 18.
The move put an end to any bitterness the Sabres and LaFontaine may have harboured after the team captain was unceremoniously traded to the New York Rangers in Sept. 1997.
"It's really the beginning," Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn said. "I think this was the right thing to do, and it was real important. We have to respect our tradition a little bit better than what we have."
The Sabres refused to clear LaFontaine to play and abruptly cut ties with him after he sustained his fifth concussion early in the 1996-97 season. The decision, made partly because the Sabres couldn't afford his salary, sent shock waves through the Buffalo hockey community and left LaFontaine with lingering bitterness toward the organization.
"Any time that you love a place, it's hard to leave," LaFontaine said. "But decisions have to be made. That's part of the game."
LaFontaine sustained another head injury with the Rangers and retired in 1998 at the age of 33. He totalled 468 goals and 1,013 points in his 15-year career.
LaFontaine, who entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003, played six seasons in Buffalo after being acquired in Oct. 1991 from the New York Islanders in a blockbuster trade that also involved the Sabres former No. 1 overall pick, Pierre Turgeon. LaFontaine registered 158 goals and 385 points in 268 games with the Sabres.
In 1992-93, LaFontaine and winger Alexander Mogilny teamed up to produce an electrifying year of offence that has yet to be matched in the team's 36-year history. LaFontaine set single-season highs by accumulating 95 assists and 148 points, with Mogilny as the beneficiary of most of those helpers, scoring a team-record 76 goals.
"That was the year where the chemistry was just hard to explain," LaFontaine said. "Things just clicked. When I got the puck I just looked for Alex streaking up. That was a great time."
LaFontaine and Gare are the fifth and sixth players to have their numbers removed by the team. The others are Gilbert Perreault (11), Rick Martin (7), Rene Robert (14) and the late Tim Horton (2).
Gare was Buffalo's second-round draft pick in 1974, and reached the 50-goal plateau twice in his 13-year career, including a then team-record 56 in 1979-80. In 503 games with the Sabres, Gare collected 267 goals and 500 points. The right winger, who captained the Sabres from 1977-81, also had 686 penalty minutes.
Gare was traded to Detroit in Dec. 1981 in a deal that brought winger Mike Foligno to Buffalo. Foligno became one of the most popular players in Sabres history, and was the captain of the team for two seasons.
Gare finished his career in Edmonton, and scored 354 goals in 827 NHL games.
"I enjoyed all of those years," Gare said. "To have my number retired is a great privilege."
LaFontaine will have his number retired prior to the March 3 game against Toronto. Gare's ceremony will be before the Nov. 22 game against the New York Rangers.
Canadian Press
10/17/2005 11:38:39 AM
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - After departing Buffalo in controversial style, Pat LaFontaine and the Sabres have officially buried the hatchet.
On Monday, the Sabres retired LaFontaine's No. 16 and former right wing Danny Gare's No. 18.
The move put an end to any bitterness the Sabres and LaFontaine may have harboured after the team captain was unceremoniously traded to the New York Rangers in Sept. 1997.
"It's really the beginning," Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn said. "I think this was the right thing to do, and it was real important. We have to respect our tradition a little bit better than what we have."
The Sabres refused to clear LaFontaine to play and abruptly cut ties with him after he sustained his fifth concussion early in the 1996-97 season. The decision, made partly because the Sabres couldn't afford his salary, sent shock waves through the Buffalo hockey community and left LaFontaine with lingering bitterness toward the organization.
"Any time that you love a place, it's hard to leave," LaFontaine said. "But decisions have to be made. That's part of the game."
LaFontaine sustained another head injury with the Rangers and retired in 1998 at the age of 33. He totalled 468 goals and 1,013 points in his 15-year career.
LaFontaine, who entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003, played six seasons in Buffalo after being acquired in Oct. 1991 from the New York Islanders in a blockbuster trade that also involved the Sabres former No. 1 overall pick, Pierre Turgeon. LaFontaine registered 158 goals and 385 points in 268 games with the Sabres.
In 1992-93, LaFontaine and winger Alexander Mogilny teamed up to produce an electrifying year of offence that has yet to be matched in the team's 36-year history. LaFontaine set single-season highs by accumulating 95 assists and 148 points, with Mogilny as the beneficiary of most of those helpers, scoring a team-record 76 goals.
"That was the year where the chemistry was just hard to explain," LaFontaine said. "Things just clicked. When I got the puck I just looked for Alex streaking up. That was a great time."
LaFontaine and Gare are the fifth and sixth players to have their numbers removed by the team. The others are Gilbert Perreault (11), Rick Martin (7), Rene Robert (14) and the late Tim Horton (2).
Gare was Buffalo's second-round draft pick in 1974, and reached the 50-goal plateau twice in his 13-year career, including a then team-record 56 in 1979-80. In 503 games with the Sabres, Gare collected 267 goals and 500 points. The right winger, who captained the Sabres from 1977-81, also had 686 penalty minutes.
Gare was traded to Detroit in Dec. 1981 in a deal that brought winger Mike Foligno to Buffalo. Foligno became one of the most popular players in Sabres history, and was the captain of the team for two seasons.
Gare finished his career in Edmonton, and scored 354 goals in 827 NHL games.
"I enjoyed all of those years," Gare said. "To have my number retired is a great privilege."
LaFontaine will have his number retired prior to the March 3 game against Toronto. Gare's ceremony will be before the Nov. 22 game against the New York Rangers.
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NHL suspends Havlat for five games
TSN.ca Staff
10/17/2005 11:50:28 AM
The NHL has handed Ottawa forward Martin Havlat a five-game suspension for kicking Boston's Hal Gill during Saturday night's game between the Senators and Bruins.
Havlat was not penalized on the play, but the kick was duly noted by the NHL's hockey operations department and the league reviewed the kicking incident late Saturday evening.
Gill was not injured, and the Bruins reportedly did not file a complaint during or after the game. The incident led to a fight between Gill and Senators forward Chris Neil.
Working against Havlat on the decision was that he previously received a two-game suspension from the NHL for kicking defenceman Eric Cairns when the big blueliner was a member of the New York Islanders.
"One of the factors in reaching this decision is the fact that Mr. Havlat was assessed supplementary discipline on three occasions during a two-month period in 2003-04 including a two-game suspension for a kicking incident," confirmed NHL Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell in a statement.
Based on his average annual salary, Havlat will forfeit $66,326.55 with the money going to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
He will be eligible to return Oct. 30 against Philadelphia.
TSN.ca Staff
10/17/2005 11:50:28 AM
The NHL has handed Ottawa forward Martin Havlat a five-game suspension for kicking Boston's Hal Gill during Saturday night's game between the Senators and Bruins.
Havlat was not penalized on the play, but the kick was duly noted by the NHL's hockey operations department and the league reviewed the kicking incident late Saturday evening.
Gill was not injured, and the Bruins reportedly did not file a complaint during or after the game. The incident led to a fight between Gill and Senators forward Chris Neil.
Working against Havlat on the decision was that he previously received a two-game suspension from the NHL for kicking defenceman Eric Cairns when the big blueliner was a member of the New York Islanders.
"One of the factors in reaching this decision is the fact that Mr. Havlat was assessed supplementary discipline on three occasions during a two-month period in 2003-04 including a two-game suspension for a kicking incident," confirmed NHL Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell in a statement.
Based on his average annual salary, Havlat will forfeit $66,326.55 with the money going to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
He will be eligible to return Oct. 30 against Philadelphia.