Canucks coach signs contract extension
(Wed, 23 May 2012 14:05:34 PDT)
Alain Vigneault has signed a contract extension to remain as coach of the Vancouver Canucks, the National Hockey League team announced on Wednesday.

How the Last 13 Stanley Cup Champions Didn't Repeat, Part 4: Fan's Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 12:46:00 PDT)
In the past 13 years, all 13 Stanley Cup champions fell short of raising the Cup another consecutive time. The first part of my series looked at how the champions from 1999, 2000 and 2001 failed to repeat. Part two studied how the 2002, 2003 and 2004 champions missed the chance to win again. Last week, part three explained how the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 champions were undone the next year. Finally, this series ends by exploring the way the 2010, 2011 and 2012 champions went home early.

Alain Vigneault signs extension with Vancouver Canucks because he’s excellent (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 12:30:14 PDT)
When Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis signed his contract extension earlier this month, the conversation turned to the future of coach Alain Vigneault. His return was never a guarantee, given the team's President's Trophy-to-first-round-exit performance and the fact that Vingeault has been on and off the hot seat since 2008. But Gillis gave him an endorsement: "He has done an excellent job and I don't know why you wouldn't want somebody back who has done an excellent job and has the results to show for it," said the GM. On Wednesday, the Canucks made a most excellent decision: Signing Vigneault, 51 to a contract extension. From the Canucks: "Alain has established himself as one of the premiere coaches in the National Hockey League," said Gillis. "He has demonstrated a commitment to winning that has led to back-to-back Presidents' Trophies and we are confident his dedication and hard work will continue to yield positive results. Alain has built a foundation of winning with this franchise and I feel he can continue to build on that foundation to achieve our ultimate goal." "I am pleased to be signing this extension to continue as the Head Coach of such an outstanding organization," said Vigneault. "I look forward to taking the next step with this franchise in bringing the Stanley Cup to Vancouver. I feel fortunate to be able to work with such a dedicated group of management, coaches and players in this great city I love." Vigneault had one more season left on his current deal. Had the Canucks severed ties with him, heavy speculation had him potentially returning to the Montreal Canadiens to fill that vacancy.

Dubinsky returns for Game 5; No hearing for Brown; Spacek rips Habs (Puck Headlines) (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 11:29:50 PDT)
• John Tortorella, when asked how he was going to get his forwards going on Tuesday: "Pray." He then read an excerpt from his memoir on a trip he took around the world after splitting from the Tampa Bay Lightning. • By the way, in case it wasn't clear that John Tortorella's sense of humour is lacking, on Wednesday morning he made it clear that he was joking about prayer and retracted the joke. [ NHL ] • No hearing for Dustin Brown for his controversial collision with Michal Rozsival. [ LA Kings Insider ] • Brandon Dubinsky returns to the Rangers' lineup for Game 5. [ Newsday ] • Showing some much-needed attention to the Devils' relatively anonymous blueline. [ NJ ] • An argument for shaking up the New York Rangers' lines by removing Carl Hagelin from the top unit: "Hagelin is currently playing top line minutes with the Rangers two most skilled forwards, and ha exactly zero goals to show for it. That's no goals and just three assists in 18 games so far this postseason. No matter which way you look at this, it's unacceptable to have a top line player with zero goals in 18 games. At some point, changes need to be made." [ Blue Seat Blogs ] • Jaroslav Spacek claims he might have retired at the end of the year if he had finished it in Montreal, and rips the Canadiens hockey operations team, from the bizarre rules for the players to the total lack of communication. "'So much bad stuff,' Spacek said. 'In my 20-year hockey career, I'd never seen anything like it. If you don't like the way I play, kick me in the ass. But no one said anything. It was terrible.'" [ Montreal Gazette ] • Another major step towards the Phoenix Coyotes staying in Arizona was taken after the team was eliminated last night, as the Glendale City Council voted to approve a preliminary budget that includes $17 million to the prospective buyer of the team for operating costs for the city's Jobing.com Arena." [ Winnipeg Free Press ] • The Wild have signed 2010 first-round pick Mikael Grandlund to his entry-level contract. He announced the deal himself in a video on the Wild's website. [ Wild ] • Michael Arace on the American invasion in the NHL. [ Blue Jackets Xtra ] • Alex Semin cuts his forehead on his gold medal, which is a very enigmatic thing to do. [ RMNB ]

Misunderstood Kirill Kabanov is maturing and focusing on hockey
(Wed, 23 May 2012 08:05:27 PDT)
The Shawinigan Cataractes forward no longer cares about how he's perceived by those who don't know him.

Kings cruise into Stanley Cup finals
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:56:40 PDT)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Kings booked their place in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in almost 20 years after wrapping up the NHL Western Conference title with a 4-3 overtime win over Phoenix in Game Five on Tuesday.

Peter DeBoer’s Devils: How coach’s philosophy, rivalry with Tortorella have defined New Jersey’s playoff run (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 08:05:58 PDT)
The New Jersey Devils' three Stanley Cup winners since 1995 have featured some constants: Goaltender Martin Brodeur, Grand Emperor Lou Lamoriello and the defensive foundation those champions where constructed on. But their coaches have defined each of them. Jacques Lemaire's trapping Devils in 1995. Larry Robinson, the players' coach, whose stunning conference finals tirade sparked the Devils' 3-1 comeback over the Flyers and eventual Cup win in 2000. The late Pat Burns, the coaches' coach, who reined in their offensive stars and oversaw a return to defensive discipline in 2003. Tied 2-2 with the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final, the Devils may still fall short of the Cup in 2012. But should they grab the Chalice, Coach Peter DeBoer has personalized this team in the same manner as his Hall of Fame (and should-damn-well-be-in the Hall of Fame, in Burns's case) predecessors had. He's pushed the right buttons. Preached the right sermons. Earned his players' belief in an offensive system that attempts to re-chisel the cemented stereotypes about Devils hockey. His comportment is one of intellectual serenity — Dan Bylsma style — with a touch of rage. His communication with the players has been honest and non-political. He couldn't have done this three years ago, when ego prevented him from fulfilling his potential as an NHL head coach. That he was the given the chance to do this at all tracks back to July 2011, when Lamoriello stunned the hockey world with an uncharacteristic choice behind the bench.

What We Learned: Embarrassing LA sports media moments while covering Kings playoff run (Puck Daddy)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 06:58:22 PDT)
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it. It's possibly the greatest bit of investigative journalism conducted since Woodward and Bernstein brought down Richard Nixon. This exemplary, collective effort of sleuth work is currently ongoing in Los Angeles, Calif., where an entire media market has unearthed the NHL's shocking secret: The city has a professional hockey team. Over the past week or so here at Puck Daddy, we've tried to document every startling discovery made by the intrepid Los Angeles media, like how to properly pronounce Anze Kopitar's name (it's hard because he's from Bosnia or something), the real name of this Drew Doughty character ( it's actually Brad !) and that hockey is in fact not played with a ball, but rather a little piece of rubber known as a "puck." That last one makes me pretty uncomfortable because of the word it rhymes with. ("Duck" — sorry, I just don't trust 'em; they have weird beaks). Just how villainous is this team, operating as a sort of sporting sleeper cell? They got all the way to the Western Conference Finals without one local noticing. That takes real criminal talent. And not only that, but, the NHL had the diabolical idea to hide it right under the Los Angelinos' noses, by having their home games played at the Staples Center. You know, where the Lakers play. Further, they named the team the Kings to intentionally confuse even the savviest media organization into thinking they are the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Astonishingly devious stuff. More twists and turns than the Da Vinci Code, which I've read three times just to make sure I understood it all. The best bit of this journalism on this pressing issue comes, of course, from the city's paper of record, the Los Angeles Times, winner of 44 Pulitzer Prizes since 1942, including three in 2012. It was for that towering beacon of journalistic excellence that columnist Chris Erskine successfully scruted several of the team and sport's most inscrutable mysteries . For instance, that thing I said earlier about the puck (again, yuck… oh and that's another gross word it rhymes with), I learned it from Erskine. Apparently they even freeze the thing. And that's a huge point of concern, because, "The hardest shots can reach 110 mph and tear flesh, crush bone, even kill you if you're not careful." Yikes, you guys! ( Coming Up: Rick Nash to Boston?; Tororella defends Prust; Ryan Suter faces his future; Evegni Malkin is having a pretty good season; why Lundqvist is King; why the Capitals can't win with Ovechkin; the Islanders know how to party; Canucks might keep Luongo; Ryan Miller on the CBA; Flames and Oilers coaching news; and are the Kings in trouble?)

Rangers rookie Chris Kreider making it look easy in impressive jump from NCAA title to NHL playoffs
(Fri, 18 May 2012 12:15:57 PDT)
Kreider went from big man at Boston College to a rushed-in rookie on a tight-knit Rangers team, but his power-forward skills and quietly confident ways have eased the transition.

Change in roster philosophy the key to Rangers, Kings success (The Hockey News)
(Fri, 18 May 2012 10:50:00 PDT)
A turn to drafting and development, rather than simply throwing money at free agents, has the led to wins in New York in L.A.

Finns, Russia go through, Slovaks upset Canada
(Thu, 17 May 2012 14:23:16 PDT)
Holders Finland advanced to the semi-finals of the world ice hockey championships with a last-gasp winner against the United States on Thursday, but Olympic champions Canada were shocked by Slovakia.

The 10 best Sports Illustrated Stanley Cup Playoff covers (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 07:05:06 PDT)
The National Hockey League has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated — either the main mag or on a commemorative issue — 114 times, according to the SI Vault archive. Sometimes, it was a quick mention on a cover story dedicated to Tiger Woods another sports story. Other times, hockey was given the spotlight. The Stanley Cup Playoffs have been featured around 35 times, including Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers on a striking cover from April 2012. While some weren't exactly iconic, they all had their charms. Here are the 10 best Sports Illustrated Stanley Cup Playoff covers.

Michel Therrien, Marc Crawford and the Montreal Canadiens’ coaching vacancy (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 11:00:13 PDT)
Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has a few things on his plate this summer. He wants to re-up with PK Subban on a new deal. He has Carey Price headed to RFA status this summer, after making $5.5 million in his last deal. And, of course, he needs to hire a head coach. Bob McKenzie of TSN whet the appetite on Monday night by reporting that the Habs are "in the process of touching base with potential head coach candidates including Michel Therrien, Guy Carbonneau, Marc Crawford, Bob Hartley, etc." Michel Therrien (190 games as Habs coach, 2000-03) and Guy Carbonneau (230 games as Habs coach, 2006-09)? Canadiens fans like BK were lobbying for a complete break from the Gainey/Gauthier era: What the Habs need is electroshock therapy. That's why they also need a coach who didn't work with the ancien regime. So forget Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien, and Guy Carbonneau. Yet two of the three could be candidates, and the third would be had the Vancouver Canucks cut him loose. Brian Stubits of Eye on Hockey thinks this is a symptom of the language requirements of the position: If you want proof that the ability to speak French is paramount to be coach of the Habs, look no further than the inclusion of Therrien. He has already done the Montreal thing once and was canned after 2 1/2 seasons. He then last 3 1/2 seasons in Pittsburgh. Yes, he did lead them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008, but he was fired midseason the next year when the team was struggling and was replaced by Dan Bylsma, who guided the Penguins to the championship. Carbonneau has earned an endorsement from Dave Stubbs of The Gazette, although a proposed reunion with Larry Robinson seems unlikely. The theory is that he's better prepared to handle the Montreal media circus than he was in the first go-round. Bob Hartley's an understandable candidate — veteran coach, with a Cup ring, although one imagines the Calgary Flames will come calling . But what about Marc Crawford?

What We Learned: What to make of this Washington Capitals season? (Puck Daddy)
(Mon, 14 May 2012 05:28:10 PDT)
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it. There's been a lot of talk about what this season has meant for the Washington Capitals in the hours leading up to, and then immediately following, their final game of the remarkably eventful 2011-12 season. Wysh had a pretty good recap of the reasons the Capitals felt this little run to a pair of one-goal Game 7s against the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference — both having been heavy favorites — vindicated the Dale Hunter system of everyone playing defense and collapsing to within three inches of the crease, and it's perfectly reasonable for people to feel that way. Certainly, no one expected these Capitals to do much damage in the postseason given that they frittered away a division they were picked to dominate. But the thing that everyone seems to forget is that, again, they were picked to dominate the Southeast, be a superpower in the East and the League at large. If the team tuned out Bruce Boudreau, and it appears they did, then wasn't his replacement, whoever it happened to be, more or less expected to get this far? Therefore, it becomes a question about what changed, and really, what didn't. Let's not forget, Boudreau came in originally and let guys like Alex Semin, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green have their run of the rink. Two-minute shifts? Sure! Goals aplenty? You bet. But in the end, what did it get them? Bounce-outs, and if you believe the talk, disappointing ones at that. So Boudreau changed the style, focusing more on defense, tethering Ovechkin and Co. to an extent, and … getting the same amount of success. Under each of the two clearly definable Boudreau regimes, the team lost in the conference quarter- and semi-finals. Which is of course notable because the latter is exactly how far Hunter got in his first chance at the tiller, despite doing everything in his power not to: like limiting Ovechkin to fewer than 20 minutes a night in every game in this series save for Saturday's Game 7 and the three-overtime Game 3, in which he played 35:14 — or, if you prefer 17:37 per three periods of play. This therefore vindicates Hunter only as far as it vindicated Boudreau; which, with a roster like this, and given the "choker" label being hung liberally on the former Caps coach this time last year. The philosophy changed radically under Hunter, and worked only as far as it did for Boudreau. Why? ( Coming Up: Team USA, international ass-kickers; getting stupid about Patrick Kane's drinking; Parise's future; Could Brad Stuart return to the Sharks?; Kevin Lowe says Ryan Murray is the top player in this year's draft class; Suter/Weber questions; Pancakes Penner's revenge; Bruins pumped for Dougie Hamilton; Alfredsson retirement watch; Leafs/Penguins trade?; Lundqvist is King; Alex Burrows runs and hugs a goalie; and Winnipeg Jets fans are burning Coyotes jerseys.)

Americans blank Finland for a quarter-final spot
(Sun, 13 May 2012 14:08:11 PDT)
The United States secured their place in the world ice hockey championship's last eight with a confident 5-0 win over reigning world champions and the event's co-hosts Finland here on Sunday.

US tops Finland 5-0 at ice hockey worlds (The Associated Press)
(Sun, 13 May 2012 09:33:54 PDT)
HELSINKI (AP) Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens opened the scoring and the United States rolled to a 5-0 victory over defending champion Finland at the ice hockey world championships on Sunday.

Don’t insult Bikini Hockey League with comparisons to Lingerie Football League (Puck Daddy)
(Fri, 11 May 2012 07:23:36 PDT)
The first sign that the Bikini Hockey League is going to offer excellent competition and players with extraordinary skill is that it's being created for a reality television program in which all the girls live in a mansion. Hopefully in lieu of roses, they do a stick ceremony. The second sign is on the league's casting call page , which literally makes no mention that the ability to play hockey is an necessity for applicants. But forget that full-length bikini butt shot and you're disqualified, ma'am! We kid, we kid. Everyone knows what's up with the Bikini Hockey League, in which buxom beauties will form two teams of inline hockey in Tulsa, Okla., while frolicking together for the cameras. Keith Whitmire of Fox Sports Southwest has all the background on the league, interviewing founder Cary Eskridge: Expansion to a full-blown league with franchises in other cities is in the talking stages. For now, Eskridge is scouting for a mansion to house the players in during tryouts, a la The Bachelor. A more obvious comparison is the Lingerie Football League, a bras-and-shoulder-pads concept that began as a pay-per-view special during the Super Bowl halftime break and is now a series on MTV2. "I don't like to be compared to that, really," Eskridge said. "It's a totally, completely different sport. I don't want to say anything negative, I just think this will be more compelling and engaging. But time will tell." Man, them's fightin' words about the Lingerie Football League, setting up the inevitable pay-per-view crossover between the franchises … god willing with the Thongs Only Rugby association.

NHL Roundup: Stars bring back Gainey as consultant (The SportsXchange)
(Thu, 10 May 2012 16:00:27 PDT)
Former Dallas Stars general manager Bob Gainey has rejoined the organization as a consultant, the team announced Thursday.

Stars hire ex-coach, GM Gainey as consultant (The SportsXchange)
(Thu, 10 May 2012 11:30:16 PDT)
Former Dallas Stars general manager Bob Gainey has rejoined the organization as a consultant, the team announced Thursday.

Ducks' Koivu re-signs for $3 million (The SportsXchange)
(Thu, 10 May 2012 11:30:16 PDT)
Center Saku Koivu re-signed with the Anaheim Ducks, agreeing to a one-year, $3 million deal to return for a 17th NHL season.

Gainey rejoining Stars as senior advisor (The Associated Press)
(Thu, 10 May 2012 09:44:55 PDT)
FRISCO, Texas (AP) Bob Gainey is returning to the Dallas Stars as a senior advisor to the team.

Anaheim Ducks re-sign C Saku Koivu to 1-year deal (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 09 May 2012 16:19:17 PDT)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Center Saku Koivu re-signed with the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3 million to return for his 17th NHL season.

Joel Quenneville commits to the Indian, explains firing of Blackhawks assistant coach (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 18:31:38 PDT)
As we reported earlier on Tuesday night , the Chicago Blackhawks parted ways with assistant coach Mike Haviland in a somewhat shocking move - given that he was a popular coach and not the guy responsible for the team's inept power play. Between this decision and the rampant speculation that he would be leaving the Blackhawks for the Montreal Canadiens' coaching vacancy, Chicago Coach Joel Quenneville met with the media on a hastily called Tuesday night conference call to clear the air. Via the Sun-Times, Quenneville on his status: "Over the last days, there were some other things that were going on about here in Chicago and me being somewhere else, but first and foremost, I'm excited about being here in Chicago," Quenneville said during a conference call Tuesday. "I love the opportunity. I love the organization. I love where we're heading in the future. That's something I want to put to bed right from the outset." Quenneville revealed that GM Stan Bowman felt there was "dysfunction" in the Blackhawks' coaching staff, giving Quenneville a chance to tweak the personnel after the season. Rather than turfing his friend Mike Kitchen, an assistant coach in charge of the team's problematic power play, it was Haviland that was fired after nearly four years in the job.

Blackhawks fire assistant Haviland (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 17:52:56 PDT)
CHICAGO (AP) Mike Haviland was fired Tuesday as an assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks after coach Joel Quenneville determined there was some ''dysfunction'' on the staff last season.