NHL: Player News and Rumors (Thread finished)

NHL to allow bigger stick curves
Canadian Press
9/14/2006 6:12:08 PM

CHICAGO (CP) - Only minor tweaks this time around.

The NHL's board of governors approved a variety of rule changes Thursday but nothing compared to the massive overhaul the league underwent last summer.

The biggest change approved Thursday involved sticks, with the maximum curve increased to three-quarters of an inch from the traditional half an inch. That will give shooters a little more zip in their shots.

But players better not cheat. During regulation time or overtime (but not shootouts), a player caught with an illegal stick will get the traditional minor penalty and a $200 fine for the first offence.

A second offence in the same season would be accompanied by a minor penalty, plus a fine of $1,000. A third offence in the same season would draw a game misconduct penalty and an automatic one-game suspension. The suspension would double in length for any subsequent violation in the same season.

Changes to the shootout were also approved. An opposing club may now request measurement of a shooter's stick prior to his attempt. If the stick is legal, the complaining team would forfeit its next shootout attempt and the player listed for the challenging club's next attempt would not be permitted to participate until all other eligible players have participated, essentially kicking him out of the shootout unless it goes 20 deep.

The same team complaining about a legal stick would be fined $5,000 and the club's coach would be fined $1,000.

If the stick is illegal, the offending player would become ineligible to participate in the shootout and the club would forfeit that shootout attempt. The team would be fined $5,000 and the player would be fined $1,000.

The board also approved enhanced measures against diving, a major problem last year in the NHL as players tried to take advantage of all the extra penalty calls with the league's crackdown on obstruction.

The first diving infraction would result in a warning letter being sent to the player. A second infraction would be accompanied by a $1,000 fine. A third infraction would result in a telephone hearing with the league and a possible one-game suspension. The length of the suspension would double for any subsequent violation.

Another rule change accepted Thursday will give the home team the choice of shooting first or second in the shootout.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Capitals sign tough guy D Erskine
Sports Ticker
9/14/2006 6:54:50 PM

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - The Washington Capitals added some toughness to their blue line Thursday, signing defenseman John Erskine to a contract. Terms were not disclosed.

A second-round pick of Dallas in 1998, Erskine made his NHL debut with the Stars in 2001-02, recording one assist and 62 penalty minutes in 33 games. The 6-4, 219-pounder spent parts of the next three seasons with Dallas before being traded to the New York Islanders on January 10.

Erskine registered another 62 penalty minutes in 26 games with the Stars last season before adding a goal and 99 penalty minutes in 34 contests with the Islanders.

An Ontario native who has eclipsed the 200-penalty minute mark five times in the minors and juniors, Erskine has collected three goals, two assists and 336 penalty minutes in 141 NHL games with the Stars and Islanders.
 

Panthers agree to terms with prospects
Associated Press
9/14/2006 7:15:15 PM

Panthers agree to terms with three prospects: Brine, Taylor, MacDonald

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) - The Florida Panthers agreed to terms Thursday with defenceman Franklin MacDonald and forwards David Brine and Adam Taylor on entry-level contracts.

Each was signed after strong showings in rookie camp, Panthers coach Jacques Martin said.

MacDonald will participate in the Panthers' training camp. Brine and Taylor will report to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.
 

Canucks match Kesler offer
Canadian Press
9/14/2006 8:12:59 PM

VANCOUVER (CP) - They might not be happy about it, but the Vancouver Canucks have decided to pay up and re-sign centre Ryan Kesler.

The NHL team said Thursday they will match the US$1.9-million, one-year offer sheet the Philadelphia Flyers extended to the restricted free agent. The 22-year-old Livonia, Mich., native is expected to be in Vernon, B.C., Friday for the opening day of the Canucks training camp.

Kesler and the Canucks were believed to be close to agreeing on a two-year, $1.9-million contract before Flyers general manager Bob Clarke surprised everyone by making his offer for roughly twice the yearly amount.

Philadelphia went after the young Canuck in an effort to replace former captain Keith Primeau, who was forced to retire because of concussion-related problems.

It was the first offer sheet signed by a player since 1999. The Canucks had a week to decide whether to match the offer or receive a second-round draft pick, but took just two days to make the decision.

''I think everyone was a little surprised it actually happened,'' said veteran Canuck forward Brendan Morrison. ''It is sort of the unwritten code GMs don't do that to each other.

''You can't blame Kesler. What is he supposed to do? The Flyers send in the offer sheet, is he supposed to turn it down?''

Kesler, picked 23rd overall in the 2003 draft, played his first full season in the NHL last year, scoring 10 goals and adding 13 assists and 79 penalty minutes in 82 games.

In 110 career games with the Canucks, the six-foot-two, 205-pound centre has 12 goals, 16 assists and 95 penalty minutes.

Clarke's move sparked debate around the league. Some GMs believe his action will be inflationary and affect future comparable players.

Canuck general manager Dave Nonis is expected to talk to the media Friday.

Signing Kesler moves the Canucks payroll to around $42.5 million, very close to this year's $44-million cap. This could affect who the Canucks sign as a backup goaltender behind Roberto Luongo.

''Dave has always said he wanted to have a little room to move,'' said Morrison. ''Now this pinches us a little more.

''I'm sure if we need to make a move ... Dave will figure a way around it.''

While the Canucks will keep Kesler, they have lost forward Jason King. The native of Corner Brook, N.L., who had 19 goals and 33 points in 36 games with the AHL Manitoba Moose last season, has signed with Skelleftea of the Swedish Elite League rather than agree to a two-way contract with Vancouver.

King's decision surprised Canuck coach Alain Vigneault.

''I thought he had a good chance at making the NHL, making the next step,'' said Vigneault, who coached the Moose last season.

''He made that decision with his agent. I thought he had a chance and he didn't want to take that chance. We're going to work with the guys who are here. I am sure we are going to find somebody who can get that job done.''

The Canucks had qualified Kesler at $564,000 this summer.

Morrison agreed that by tripling his salary Kesler will be under more pressure to perform this year.

''If for some reason he doesn't live up to others expectations, then he is going to get heat for it,'' said Morrison. ''That's the nature of our business.

''I think he will prove over time he's a player with a lot of upside, a lot of talent.''

Technically, the last official offer sheet before Tuesday was in July 1999 when Tampa Bay made an offer for little-known Oiler Brett Hauer. Edmonton matched it.

The last offer sheet of any note was in February 1998 when Carolina went after Detroit star Sergei Fedorov and the Red Wings matched it.

For his part, Clarke wasn't concerned about how the move was viewed by others.

''That's the rules in the CBA,'' Clarke said. ''The rules aren't convenient just for one team, they're there for everybody. You can't pick and choose. If you like one rule and I like one rule, does that mean we can only use one rule? That's crazy.

''If you're unhappy with the rules, complain to (commissioner) Gary Bettman.''
 

Lalime to be sidelined 2-3 months
Sports Ticker
9/14/2006 8:14:39 PM

CHICAGO (Ticker) - Patrick Lalime's debut with the Chicago Blackhawks will have to wait a while.

Chicago on Thursday announced Lalime, who signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Blackhawks on July 1, will undergo back surgery Friday and is expected to be sidelined two to three months.

While preparing for training camp, which opened Thursday, Lalime experience back pain. The Blackhawks' medical staff tended to the veteran goaltender and determined surgery was necessary.

Lalime's absence leaves the backup job to Nikolai Khabibulin up for grabs. Sebastien Caron, who signed a one-year deal in August, and Brian Boucher, who is in camp as an invitee, figure to compete for the position.

A sixth-round pick of Pittsburgh in 1993, Lalime made an immediate impact upon his arrival to the NHL, setting a league record for the longest unbeaten streak by a rookie to start his career by going 14-0-2 with the Penguins in 1996-97.

Lalime enjoyed his best season with Ottawa in 2001-02, posting a career-high 39 wins and a league-best 1.39 goals-against average.

Named to the All-Rookie Team in 1997 and selected to play in the All-Star Game in 2003, Lalime struggled with St. Louis in 2005-06, going 4-18-8 with a 3.64 GAA while being demoted to the American Hockey League for a stretch and suffering a season-ending knee injury in early April.

In 353 career games with the Penguins, Senators and Blues, the 31-year-old Lalime owns a 171-130-40 record with 33 shutouts and a 2.49 GAA.
 

Blackhawks lose Barker up to six weeks
TSN.ca Staff
9/15/2006 1:24:39 PM

The Chicago Blackhawks delivered some bad news today, announcing that defenceman Cam Barker will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured ankle.

Barker, 20, underwent an MRI this morning and it was discovered that he re-fractured the same ankle that he injured last season.

Barker will have surgery at the University of Chicago Hospital today and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks.

Barker was the third overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He made the Blackhawks last season but was sent back to Medicine Hat of the WHL in October after dressing for one game.

He helped Canada to a gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championship, but broke his ankle in January.

He only played 26 regular season games for Medicine Hat, notching 18 points, but came back to play in 13 playoff games and scored 12 post-season points.
 

Tkachuk reports to Blues in better shape
Canadian Press
9/15/2006 1:56:30 PM

Keith Tkachuk hit the ice Friday on the first day of St. Louis Blues training camp some 30 pounds lighter after a summer which saw the veteran winger rededicate himself in the gym.

"Feels like my first training camp," he told The Canadian Press between on-ice sessions.

Saturday will mark the one-year anniversary that Tkachuk was suspended by the Blues for showing up overweight and failing a physical.

A rigourous off-season training program has the 6-2 Tkachuk down to 229 pounds. He tipped the scales at 263 pounds last Sept. 16 when the Blues suspended him.

"I knew I had to be better than last year. Obviously I wasn't ready," Tkachuk said from St. Louis in his thick New England accent. "This year I was determined for pride. I want to go out and try to be one of the top wingers in the game. I want to get back to that. And I felt I needed a lot of work.

"Obviously the season we had last year (they finished last in the NHL), we had plenty of time off and I got right at it. I worked hard with our strength coach. I feel really good."

He'd rather forget last September. He was the butt of jokes all season long around the league and he knows it.

"It was difficult," said Tkachuk, who returned to the team two weeks later but was limited to 41 games because of groin and rib injuries. "It was obviously embarrassing and I dealt with it and it's over with. It makes you a stronger person, it really does. The most important people in your life is your family and your teammates.

"That's the only people that I was embarrassed for. They supported me throughout this whole process. It was a difficult year last year but it's over with. It's a fresh start. I'm ready to go."

Aside from the strenuous workout regimen, Tkachuk has also followed a strict diet.

"Lots of fruits and vegetables and stay off the beer," he said with a laugh. "But seriously, I'm 34 years old, I have to be more careful, that was the most difficult part."

Carrying the extra weight last season could not have come at a worst time. The new NHL bounced back from the lockout with rule changes that sped up the game and opened up the scoring.

"Absolutely," said Tkachuk. "It's still going to be physical but you need to be able to move out there. It's a skating game more than ever. If you watched the playoffs you saw how fast it was and you have to be willing to skate and be able to move out there. That's one of the approaches I took this summer and it worked."

Despite only playing 41 games Tkachuk put up 36 points (15-21), enough for the Blues to pick up the US$3.8-million option left on his contract.

But not before Tkachuk and new Blues owner Dave Checketts had a heart to heart.

"I had a great talk with Mr. Checketts, we put everything on the table," said Tkachuk. "I think both sides are looking to prove themselves to each other. I'm very happy they picked it up. I was ecstatic because my family loves it here. It's a great place to raise a family here so that was important."

Tkachuk has 446 goals and 422 assists in 897 career regular-season games with Winnipeg, Phoenix and St. Louis. He has scored 30-plus goals in eight of his 14 NHL seasons, and has had 50-plus goals twice.

He's hungry to return to the form that has made him one of the NHL's premier power forwards.

"I want to be at the top of my game and help this team win," he said.

Tkachuk isn't the only Blues player with motivation this season. Fellow veteran winger Bill Guerin is equally hungry after being bought out by Dallas. Veteran centre Doug Weight also wants to show he's got lots of hockey left.

"We have a lot to prove here," said Tkachuk. "We have to prove to our fans, we have to prove to ourselves. We need to get back into the playoffs. As you saw last year, anything can happen in the playoffs. And I like the decisions we made.

"We brought in some great people, Bill Guerin, a veteran goal-scorer, bringing back Dougie, re-signing Dallas Drake, bringing in Jay McKee who's going to log lots of minutes, Martin Rucinsky is a heck of a player, Manny Legace in net, Dan Hinote has won in Colorado and finally we brought in Radek Dvorak.

"I'm happy, these are big pieces of the puzzle. I look our chances of making the playoffs this year."

Especially with a trimmed and fit Keith Tkachuk.
 

Konowalchuk having heart checked out
Associated Press
9/15/2006 2:20:15 PM

DENVER (AP) - The Avalanche opened training camp Friday and said forward Steve Konowalchuk will miss at least some practice time for undisclosed medical tests.

"Results from standard EKG testing done yesterday revealed an abnormality and further examination is required at this time to determine the exact nature of his condition," trainer Matt Sokolowski said. Other details were not disclosed.

Konowalchuk missed most of last season with a broken right wrist. He was off to the best start of his 14-year NHL career with 15 points through 21 games when he got hurt Nov. 21. He missed the final 61 games of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.

Colorado will have a much different look this season. They traded forward Alex Tanguay to Calgary, lost stalwart defenceman Rob Blake to the Kings and feisty grinder Dan Hinote signed with St. Louis.

"That's the league today," coach Joel Quenneville said. "You expect there's going to be some turnover and some new blood. Last year, we had some significant changes and some question marks going into the season. This year, I think it's a little clearer. We've lost some people who have been here for big years."

One player looking for a fresh start is goalie Jose Theodore, who had an injury-plagued season filled with off-the-ice headlines before Colorado was bounced in the second round of the playoffs by a fast and deep Anaheim team.

"Every year you have something to prove," Theodore said Thursday. "As a goalie, there's always a lot of pressure, but this is the challenge that you live for as a professional. When I got traded here, it was kind of like a ray of light."

Quenneville said he considers Theodore a bit of a newcomer, along with new arrivals Jordan Leopold, Ken Klee and Mark Rycroft.

"The way he prepared himself physically, he looks like a different person," Quenneville said. "His attitude seems refreshed; he seems energized, and we're expecting big things from him."

Theodore, a former Hart Trophy winner, missed three months last season with a broken heel and then tested positive for a banned substance in a pre-Olympic drug test because he had been using a prescription for a hair-growth stimulant. He was also photographed holding hands with heiress Paris Hilton at a VIP party in Toronto, leading to a stir since he and girlfriend Stephanie Cloutier are the parents of an infant girl.

Theodore said he has purchased a home in the Denver area with his family.

"It was really important for me and my family to be here and settle," he said. "Now I have one thing to concentrate on, doing my job. I don't have 10 things to think about, just showing up for practice and working hard and playing well."

Theodore was recovering from his injury when the Avalanche acquired him March 8 from Montreal for goalie David Aebischer. He posted a 1-3-1 record with a 3.04 goals-against average in the final five regular-season games. He went 4-5 with the same GAA in the playoffs.

Teammates are looking forward to seeing what Theodore can do with a full off-season to prepare.

"I've been seeing what a healthy Theodore can do right now, and he looks unbelievable," defenceman John-Michael Liles said. "Everybody knew what he was capable of. Obviously, coming in late last year after the injury, that was pretty tough, and he played remarkable for us.

"I see him now and he seems like a totally different goalie. I think everybody is looking forward to getting into game situations and he'll show what he can do."
 

Report: Bruins send Zhamnov home
Sports Ticker
9/15/2006 4:38:53 PM

BOSTON (Ticker) - The Boston Bruins apparently have severed ties with the last of former general manager Mike O'Connell's major acquisitions of the summer of 2005.

According to a report by the Boston Herald on Friday, veteran center Alexei Zhamnov failed his physical on the first day of the Bruins' training camp and was sent home.

Zhamnov, who signed a three-year, $12.3 million contract with Boston last summer, suffered a broken ankle on January 7, ending his 2005-06 season after he recorded just one goal and nine assists in 24 games. He still is owed $8.2 million, which will be covered by insurance.

However, the 35-year-old Russian must have his ankle re-examined midway through the 2006-07 campaign as well as before and during the following season in order to confirm he still is unable to play.

A fourth-round pick of Winnipeg in 1990, Zhamnov has collected 249 goals and 470 assists in 807 career games with the Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and Bruins. He scored at least 20 goals each of his first eight seasons, netting a career-high 30 tallies in 1994-95, and made his lone All-Star Game appearance during the 2001-02 campaign.

The 6-1, 204-pound Zhamnov has represented his country at the Winter Olympics on three occasions, helping the nation capture the gold medal in 1992, silver in 1998 and bronze in 2002.
 

Leafs take to the ice at camp
Canadian Press
9/15/2006 4:50:50 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Hal Gill likes what he sees in a new NHL instruction video for defencemen.

It shows Chris Pronger defending against Brendan Shanahan in front of a net, and it details what referees will and will not allow when the new NHL season begins Oct. 4.

The way the new Maple Leafs blue-liner sees it, refs will not rush to punish defencemen just because an opponent falls. It's part of the crackdown on diving the league just announced.

The six-foot-seven, 250-pound American had difficulties adjusting to the strictness on obstruction fouls last season with Boston and led the Bruins with a career-worst 124 penalty minutes.

"The game always needed open ice and speed and that's great, I'm all for that," Gill said after his new team's first on-ice workouts Friday. "The thing I love about hockey is battling.

"That's where I get passionate about the game, when someone is going to the net and you push him and shove him and the puck is sitting there and you're fighting it out. That's what I find enjoyable about hockey. I think to have that back a little more, within the limits, that'll be a little better for me. From the video, it looks like they're going to allow some battles."

The stay-at-home defenceman was frustrated time and again last season, and he continues to adapt.

"My game is clearing out the front of the net but I can't just throw somebody into the corner," he said. "You've got to get into position and have an active stick and play the puck.

"You can't just ride somebody out. It's a different job now, but it's been a year and everybody has adjusted to it, and I have, too."

The Leafs hope so after agreeing to pay him US$2.05 million in a free-agent deal. They're counting on Gill, Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle and Pavel Kubina, another free-agent pickup, to be their top four D.

Head coach Paul Maurice split players into three groups for 70-minute sessions, and most of them noticed a change from what they'd experienced at previous camps.

"It's a faster pace," said Gill. "If you're not quick, you're dead."

There were attacking drills and stop-and-start skating towards the end, when players were huffing and puffing as Maurice watched.

"We're learning his whole mentality," said Gill. "That's our first look at what he's all about.

"From what I can see, we're going to play an up-tempo game. Everyone is going to be up the ice as fast as we can and coming back as hard as we can. That's the mentality we're going to have. It's an exciting time."

The five previous Leafs camp in which Darcy Tucker participated were conducted with then-coach Pat Quinn in charge, and the veteran forward noticed a distinct tempo boost with Maurice.

"A lot of us have been in the same mind frame over the last few years with the first few days of camp being scrimmages," said Tucker. "It's not that mindset where you get down to work.

"This is a totally different atmosphere. I think that guys are on edge a little bit, on their toes, and that's a good thing sometimes."

Tucker says last spring's disappointment is driving the veterans.

"There was a commitment from the time when we didn't make the playoffs last year to this point in time," he explained. "What happened last year was unacceptable and we're going to move forward to try to make that never happen again."

The downer of the day was the early exit of defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo.

"He felt ill," said Maurice.

Colaiacovo didn't play hockey after suffering a concussion last January.

"We don't know if this is related to his concussion," said Maurice. "There were a lot of guys not feeling well after those practices."

Colaiacovo was to be examined by doctors.

"He'll be back on the ice when he gets the green light, which might very well by (Saturday)," added Maurice.

Colaiacovo, Staffan Kronwall, Andy Wozniewski, Brendan Bell, Jay Harrison and Ian White are candidates for three defence jobs.
 

Remove ads

Top