Florida Everblades win ECHL's Kelly Cup (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 20:03:27 PDT)
ESTERO, Fla. (AP) Brandon MacLean scored 3:33 into overtime and the Florida Everblades won their first ECHL title, beating the Las Vegas Wranglers 3-2 on Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Kelly Cup finals.

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.

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 ]

Behold, the incredible playoff beards of Radko Gudas and AHL’s Norfolk Admirals (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 14:28:28 PDT)
You are looking at a photo of Radko Gudas, a defenseman for the Norfolk Admirals and a prospect for the Tampa Bay Lightning. As you can see, the man has a remarkable playoff beard, arguably one of the best in recent memory. Bask in it. Just stare at it awhile. We'll wait ... ... OK, too long. You're a creep. Moving on. Gudas' "Young Santa Claus" is made all the more remarkable when you consider two additional facts. First, he didn't get a running start on his playoff beard, like Shea Weber did with last year's standout face forest -- according to the team, he started his war bear right around playoff time. The Calder Cup playoffs began on April 19, so the majesty you're seeing really is just over a month's worth of growth. Second, Gudas is only 22 21 years old. That's ridiculous. But there's more to this story: As it turns out, Gudas' beard is only in the running for best beard on the team. He's neck and neck with teammates Eric Neilson and Scott Jackson.

Coyotes, Kings Game 5 preview; Claude Giroux has fun; PK Subban on the ladies (Puck Headlines) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 13:06:20 PDT)
Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • Claude Giroux's beer pong adventures are rightfully getting attention on this lovely Tuesday, but it's the double-casted topless cornholing that we're sure a segment of our readership is more interested in. Playoffs leading scorer indeed. [ Crossing Broad ] • In case you missed it, the Los Angeles Kings' snarky infographic about being confused with the Sacramento Kings was hilarious. [ Kings ] • PK and Malcolm Subban talk race and hockey with Complex. And also, the ladies. Who "pulls the most ladies" in the Subban family? PK says: "Wow, well definitely me. I'm the oldest, I have the most experience, and I'm the best looking. I've been told that on numerous occasions, numerous. Now that doesn't take anything away from my brothers, Malcolm is good looking and Jordan's a good looking guy, too. I mean they are related to me so they get a little bit of the looks. But right now I have to say I have the most experience. I'm a veteran when it comes to that, they're still learning. They have lots of potential. They're like first-round picks right now in the game, they still have to develop." [ Complex ] • Coach Bob Hartley's Zurich Lions are ready to bid him adieu as he returns to the NHL. [ Swiss Habs ] • Speaking of the Lions, that's where Ryan Shannon of the Tampa Bay Lightning will be for the next three years. [ SB Nation ] • What kind of grade would Ville Leino receive for his effort with the Buffalo Sabres? [ Die By The Blade ] • In which Shane Doan compares the Phoenix Coyotes' plight to Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail. [ Arizona Sports ] • This is so strange: An entire column written about embellishment in the playoffs and how it needs to stop, without a single mention of Mike Smith's flopping. Oh, Arizona Republic you say? Well then. [ AZCentral ] • Look, we don't like to judge, but embezzling $144,000 from a Youth Hockey Association is a sort of [expletived] up. [ Cap Times ]

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?)

In defense of shot-blocking: The price of winning takes courage, guts and sacrifice
(Wed, 16 May 2012 11:29:52 PDT)
Shot-blocking isn't a plague on the game, and teams like the New York Rangers should be praised for doing whatever it takes in the name of Stanley Cup success.

Devils vow not to shoot pucks at Rangers’ faces, despite Marty Brodeur’s advice (UPDATE) (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 08:05:20 PDT)
" The risk these players are willing to take game after game, shift after shift is worthy of adulation." — Larry Brooks, NY Post, May 7 "They're hot at blocking shots. We might be able to hurt a few guys [by] hitting one-timers in the foot and their head or something." — Marty Brodeur via Larry Brooks, May 16 Shot blocking in the NHL has its perils. Sure, the overly padded players of today can lay out their bodies with reckless abandon, turning aside point blasts from opponents and then quickly transitioning to offense. But there are less protected areas: Like the foot, as James van Riemsdyk will tell you ; like the face, as Daniel Paille will tell you. As Larry Brooks wrote last week, these brave New York Rangers that are throwing their bodies in front of pucks to the tune of 19 blocked shots per game are worthy of our adulation, but are also taking an inherent risk. Like, for example, an opponent blasting a puck off their noggin or feet as they're in a prone position. That Brodeur wouldn't suggest this could happen … my goodness, clutch the pearls, NY Post! It's like the Queen of Hearts declared "Off with their heads!" From Brooks: Even worse, there were Devils yesterday who actually seemed willing to debate whether this different kind of headhunting might be a legitimate tactic to discourage shot-blocking, though none would suggest it ever could be or ever would be adopted by New Jersey's team. Still, the seed has been planted. When a pitcher who muses about brushing someone back nails a batter in the head, the presumption of innocence has been forfeited, the purpose having been advertised. What now would be the response from the Rangers, forget for the moment from the NHL, if a shot off a Devil's stick went awry, as in right into the face a Blueshirts defender? First off, Brooks rightly points out that Marty's a bit of a hypocrite here. In 2003, Brodeur accused defenseman Pavel Kubina of the Tampa Bay Lightning of intentionally shooting at the head of Scott Stevens. Now, he appears to advocate for the same thing. Even in jest. Let's not pretend that this doesn't happen already — that when a player has had his shot blocked four or five times in a game, he doesn't put a little extra mustard on the sixth attempt with an opponent sliding in front of him. Because he does. [Jay Hart: Los Angeles Kings seem destined to reach Stanley Cup finals ] But essentially what Brooks is arguing here is that onus is on the shooter , rather than the player hurling himself into the line of fire to deflect a speeding piece of frozen rubber, when it comes to player safety. So much for adulation for risk -- like other facets of player safety, apparently the players putting himself in harm's way must be protected at all costs. Worry not about the Rangers. The Devils told the NY Post on Tuesday that they aren't planning to intentionally injure them with shots to the face.

It's all about winning for controversial Rangers coach John Tortorella
(Mon, 14 May 2012 10:47:56 PDT)
Tortorella often comes off as cantankerous and arrogant, but there's more to the New York Rangers coach than meets the eye.

Rangers shot-blocking mentality bad for NHL (The Hockey News)
(Mon, 14 May 2012 09:18:00 PDT)
The New York Rangers are the only team left that only plays defense, so if they win the Stanley Cup, the league will be worse off.

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.)

Brad Richards was expected to deliver on a grand stage for the Rangers, just not quite so quickly
(Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:56 PDT)
After signing with New York, Richards had high hopes, but even he must be surprised at how quickly success has come.

Capitals-Rangers Preview (The Associated Press)
(Fri, 11 May 2012 15:44:46 PDT)
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) Brad Richards is getting ready for the Rangers' latest Game 7 the same way the star forward did years ago when he was a kid with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Caps, Rangers practice once more before Game 7 (The Associated Press)
(Fri, 11 May 2012 15:38:44 PDT)
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) Brad Richards is getting ready for the Rangers' latest Game 7 the same way the star forward did years ago when he was a kid with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Canada come back to upset hockey hosts Finland
(Fri, 11 May 2012 14:36:48 PDT)
Olympic champions Canada battled back from two goals down to clinch their group lead with a 5-3 win over reigning champions, and co-hosts of the world ice hockey championship, Finland here Friday.

U.S. beats Belarus, Finland flattens France at ice hockey world championships
(Fri, 11 May 2012 14:20:04 PDT)
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The United States survived an early scare to beat Belarus 5-3 while Finland turned on the style to destroy France 7-1 in Group H action at the ice hockey world championships in Helsinki on Thursday. The U.S. were 2-0 up and coasting after seven minutes but a dogged Belarus side pegged them back to 2-2, keeping pace for almost two full periods before falling away and eventually losing. Nate Thompson of the Tampa Bay Lightning got the go-ahead goal, putting the U.S. 3-2 up when he rounded the net and fired in off a defender's skate. Bobby Ryan and Paul Stastny put the U.S. ...

US beats Kazakhstan 3-2 at hockey worlds (The Associated Press)
(Fri, 11 May 2012 13:25:18 PDT)
HELSINKI (AP) Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes scored four minutes into overtime for his second goal of the game Friday, sending the United States to a 3-2 victory over Kazakhstan at hockey's world championships.

Jonathan Quick vs. Mike Smith in the battle for Stanley Cup Final, Conn Smythe (Puck Daddy)
(Fri, 11 May 2012 09:21:06 PDT)
Los Angeles Kings Head Coach Darryl Sutter joked during a Thursday conference call that if goaltender Jonathan Quick were to get injured, Jonathan Bernier would be next in line, followed by team vice president and assistant GM Ron Hextall and goaltending coach Bill Ranford. The latter two were Conn Smythe Trophy winners in 1987 and 1990, respectively, while Bernier has yet to experience a playoff game in his NHL career. Quick is the current front-runner for the Smythe as the Kings go for their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Some teams can win in spite of their goaltending, but the Kings wouldn't be close to even a sniff of the Western Conference Final against the Phoenix Coyotes without the work of Quick. His 35-win season made him the first Kings goaltender to record three straight 30-plus win seasons. He also posted an NHL-best 10 shutouts and was top-5 in wins, goals-against average (1.95) and save percentage (.929). Aside from being a Smythe candidate, he was nominated for the Vezina Trophy; and while he fell short of being a finalist, many believe he was worthy of Hart Trophy consideration. Taking into account that nine of Quick's losses came in games where he allowed just a single goal, it's hard to ignore his inclusion into the MVP discussion. Sutter has seen this before. While coaching the Calgary Flames during the 2003-04 season when they came within a game of winning the Cup, he watched Miikka Kiprusoff post five shutouts and a 1.85 goals against average en route to Game 7 of the Final that year. To Sutter, what Quick brings to the Kings reminds him of Kiprusoff eight years ago. "I think they play a lot of the same way in their styles," Sutter said. "It's a bit different than other guys. Same practice habits, both have real similar work ethics, both have the same demeanor in the locker room, but there are real similarities between these two guys." While many saw this coming from Quick, what Mike Smith has been providing to the Coyotes wasn't predicted.

Ice hockey: U.S. beat Belarus, Finland flatten France at worlds
(Thu, 10 May 2012 14:01:28 PDT)
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The United States survived an early scare to beat Belarus 5-3 while Finland turned on the style to destroy France 7-1 in Group H action at the ice hockey world championships in Helsinki on Thursday. The U.S. were 2-0 up and coasting after seven minutes but a dogged Belarus side pegged them back to 2-2, keeping pace for almost two full periods before falling away and eventually losing. Nate Thompson of the Tampa Bay Lightning got the go-ahead goal, putting the U.S. 3-2 up when he rounded the net and fired in off a defender's skate. Bobby Ryan and Paul Stastny put the U.S. ...

Perfect Finland thrash hapless France in ice hockey
(Thu, 10 May 2012 13:51:36 PDT)
Defending champions and co-hosts of the world ice hockey championship Finland thrashed France 7-1 here on Thursday to move top of their group and maintain their perfect record.

Rangers-Capitals Preview (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 13:54:50 PDT)
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Perhaps Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich thinks that saying something makes it so. Or maybe he's a believer in the power of positive thinking.

Rangers need 1 win over Caps to reach East finals (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 13:53:26 PDT)
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Perhaps Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich thinks that saying something makes it so. Or maybe he's a believer in the power of positive thinking.

Watch Gabriel Landeskog and Victor Hedman sing ABBA, and prepare to send an S.O.S. (VIDEO) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 11:03:02 PDT)
It's just assumed that certain regions have songs by their representative artists committed to memory: New Jerseyans and Bruce Springsteen, Canadians and Stompin' Tom Connors and, of course, the Swedish and ABBA. To that end, perhaps the biggest surprise in the following video is that Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning need any lyrical assistance at all. OK, actually, the biggest surprise is that these guys killed it on "S.O.S." Hedman looks like a stoic Benicio Del Toro being forced to perform Swedish karaoke until the end, when he raises his arms and gives an Arsenio "whoop whoop." Landeskog, however, is using a complicated cross-leg toe tap to keep time and, frankly, is the better singer who looks like he knows his way around a Benny Andersson/Björn Ulvaeus tune. That friends, is the stuff of a Calder winner. Your move, Nuge; may we suggest "Waterloo"? Meanwhile … ATT: NHL. Hedman. Landeskog. Talbot. Simmonds. Sing-off, dance-off. Ratings gold.

Why Glendale will regret keeping Coyotes (The Hockey News)
(Mon, 07 May 2012 13:12:00 PDT)
While the Coyotes are a good story right now, the franchise still loses money and will cost the city of Glendale down the road.

What We Learned: Do mediocre divisions produce better Stanley Cup Playoff teams? (Puck Daddy)
(Mon, 07 May 2012 07:24:34 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. Occasionally you will hear that playing top teams several times a season, like those in the Atlantic and Central Divisions did this season, is a great way to prepare yourself for the postseason. They say it makes you ready to face the tougher competition in the playoffs, and by extension, those teams playing in softer divisions must logically be ill-prepared for similar rigors once the postseason rolls around. Both of the Atlantic and Central divisions were littered with 100-point teams, boasting eight of the league's 10 to eclipse the century mark between them (the other two being Boston and Vancouver), and it therefore stood to reason that they would likely send the lion's share of competitors to the conference finals. The better teams in the regular season tend to do about as well in the postseason, because they are, after all, very good teams. That makes sense. It turns out, though, that having a bunch of teams even in the neighborhood of 100 points in your division at the end of the regular season actually may be more of a detriment to a squad's postseason success. Since the lockout, only two teams have played in a Stanley Cup Final after playing in a division with three teams that managed 100 points. However, both those teams (Anaheim in 2007 and Chicago in 2010) won the Cup. If you expand that number out to even 97 points — which typically assures you a playoff berth but not home ice — only two more teams are added to the mix, the 2008 and 2009 Penguins. Conversely, teams coming out of divisions with two or fewer 97-point teams got into the Cup Finals with far greater frequency, doing so eight times since the lockout (including both Boston and Vancouver last year). But now we've seen the Los Angeles Kings advance to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 1993, and the Phoenix Coyotes stand on the precipice of doing the same for the first time since ever. Phoenix won the Pacific Division with 97 points, and is only a home ice team by virtue of its division title. Had seeding been based on points, they'd have slotted into the sixth spot. Los Angeles, meanwhile, finished with 95. The now-eliminated Sharks were sandwiched between them with 96. Three teams from one division in the playoffs, yes, but one terribly underwhelming division from which not much was expected. (Coming Up: America is a hockey superpower, thanks to Jack Johnson; Barry Trotz is wrong; Dustin Brown is awesome; Jordan Staal of Carolina; Thomas Vanek makes bank; Luongo to the Blackhawks?; Rick Dudley to the Habs; Jonathan Quick vs. Terry Sawchuck; trading Sidney Crosby; Todd McLellan-to-Calgary rumors; and the best and worst of the Capitals.)