Canucks-Wild Preview: God help us all

So we know the various things that are wrong with this slumping Canucks team...
-fragile confidence
-lousy power play
-lousy penalty kills
-mental lapses
-turnovers
-panic attacks
-not playing the coach's system
-not playing a full 60 minutes

So there is isn't really much else to say except for what players will be playing and who won't.

Pavol Demitra will not play against his former team.
Mike Brown will play. We could use the grit.
Kyle Wellwood will play on a line with Jannik Hansen and Steve Bernier.
Mats Sundin will play with Kesler and Burrows, which I think is a great idea. Kesler and Burrows are basically line 2 players anyways.
Mason Raymond is expected to sit out with Shane O'Brien. Strange how 2 of the 3 players involved in the scuffle at practice on Thursday sit out.
Rob Davison will play in O'Brien's stead.

The Wild lost a disappointing game to the Oilers tonight. They will be whipped and drilled by coach Jacques Lemaire's to win their game against Vancouver.

It's tough to look at the Western Conference standings right now. The Canucks have 51 points and are 2 points from a playoff spot. A loss against the Wild will once again put heaps of pressure on the team.
I really don't know what to expect from the Canucks at this point. They are trying to say all the right things in their 7 game slump, but it is all just lip service to me. These next 3 games will be crucial. All 3 are at home, where they are atrocious. They could very well lose all 3, as GM Place is not such a friendly place to play in lately. If they lose the next 3, Alain Vigneault could be fired, OR, the team will go on the road and turn it around.
Doesn't that bother you that the team plays with so much fucking anxiety at GM Place? What does that say about the team? What does that say about the fans? Well, I've had a few drinks so I'll say this: Canucks fans can be the worst fans in the League. Pessimistic. Doomsayers. How about the fans get a little more into it more consistently and cheer the team on? The players can use all the help they can get.

I know the Devils have been rolling lately, so their fans are optimistic. But when they were down with under a minute to go against the Penguins tonight you could hear the fans screaming "Let's go Devils" as the clock winded down. The Devils never quit, tied the game, won in OT, and sent Crosby home crying.
Now THERE is a team that has their shit together. Confidence is everything. Jamie Langenbrunner is everything. Jesus, what a captain he is.
To me, the Devils are the model team. They play Brent Sutter's system so well. Sure they got outshot by (I believe a 43-16 margin) yet they still win. They lose Brodeur long term and still win. When they had chances they made it count. Plus they got breaks. That's what happens to a team that is rolling and has confidence.
Can someone please tell me how Sundin can start off so sluggish after a long layoff yet Brendan Shanahan can return after more time off than Mats, play 5 games, and have 3 goals and 1 assist? Shanahan turned 40 on January 23. He's so clutch. He also is playing with better talent and has a better shot.
Anyways, I'm just ranting. I'm not losing faith in this Canucks team. Why? Because I believe that once they win a game they will turn it around. If they don't win any games, very soon Mike Gillis will do SOMETHING to change it up. All hope is not lost.

T Tags: Canucks+Wild+game+preview slump Devils Shanahan Sundin answersLabels: Canucks, Devils, Game Preview, Mats Sundin, Wild

The Devils made them do it

Lose that is.

The Canucks keep finding ways to lose. After being yelled at, called out and worked hard in practice there was a fair bit of optimism for Canucks fans heading into this one. Maybe they would put together a full 60 minutes. Maybe Jason Labarbera would steal one, because Curtis Sanford had previously failed.
Nope. Labarbera looked terrible and allowed 2 questionable goals on his first 6 shots and was pulled. Sanford made almost the same gaff playing the puck behind his net and by 11:07 of the first period the Nuckleheads were down 3-0 to a team you really don't want to be trailing by that much.
The goalies let the team down primarily. The team let eachother down by coming out flat and getting outshot 12-4 in the first period. Sure, Vancouver clawed it's way back into it but that isn't the point. The game was lost in the first period.
Now Canucks fans pray that Roberto Luongo will return on Thursday to hopefully put a bandage over this gaping wound.
You know Luongo will not put up with this shit if he's playing. The first goal let in by Labarbera was not only a folly on his part for looking like a dying beached whale in his crease. There was a lack of communication from his defencemen there. Luongo would talk to his D-men about that. He'd give them hell. Labarbera said nothing and minutes later he slammed the bench door shut as he was pulled.
Deflating.
These backup goalies are not getting it done. However, when they play well the team in front of them doesn't bail them out. Fucking frustrating. Luongo's return had better stabilize the situation. If it doesn't, very soon Alain Vigneault's job will be at stake, if it isn't already. Oh yeah, it's true. Admit it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Look at the standings. The Canucks have played more games than the teams below them and are now only 3 points away from losing a playoff spot.
It's a bad sign for a coach when he (and his assistant) calls his guys out and gives them the hollering and screaming treatment yet the team comes out like they did tonight. Post game Vigneault switched tones and calmly said he believes in this group. I've heard that before....from coaches that are clinging to a job.
Vigneault's system is good, but the players are not all buying into it. Gone is the defensive system that Vigneault wants at this point. This squad refuses to tighten up defensively.
It's saddening to watch the players post game riding their exercise bikes and trying to answer questions to the reporters as to "what the hell is going on right now." They say they don't know or play stupid most of the time. But at least Ryan Kesler mentioned the "tighten up defensively" part. Regardless you can sense the frustration in the group.
That frustration needs to be dealt with soon. Winning will fix that.

Oh by the way, kudos to Pavol Demitra for responding positively after being called out. He went from demotion to promotion within about 20:00. Good job Pavol. And good job line 3.

Tip of the hat to the Devils, who showed us what it takes to win without their superstar goalie in net.

I think the Canucks PPV panel made a good point about Sundin and Luongo being distractions. That's about the best bang for my $13 spent on this fucking PPV game.
Soon we will see the impact Luongo has on this team when he plays.

By the way, where was Sundin post game? On a plane to Sweden I'll bet!

T Tags: Canucks+lose+to+Devils January+13+2009 Demitra+promoted Labarbera+sucks Alain+Vigneault+fired? Canucks+need+Luongo game+review

Johnny Canuck vs Lords of the Underworld

Two years ago the Canucks were labelled the Devils of the West because they trapped so well and defended leads better than most Western Conference teams. I don't think the same can be said about this year's version of the Canucks. Not yet anyway. But both teams still have something major in common: they have been playing without their star goaltenders since November. The Devils have been without Martin Brodeur since November 1st, and Brodeur was expected to miss 4 months with torn bicep tendons. The Canucks lost Luongo on November 22nd.
Yet the Devils have done something that the Canucks have not been able to do: WIN CONSISTENTLY WITHOUT THEIR #1 GOALIE. New Jersey did struggle as soon as Brodeur went out however. They would lose 5 of their next 6 games. But then they would win 9 of their next 10 after the skid. The Devils are 18-13-1 without Marty. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games, but still, they have performed rather admirably without Brodeur.
The Canucks are barely keeping their heads above water without the god known as Luongo. They have a 10-11-3 record in his absence. They have not won back to back games since December 14 and 17.
Luongo could potentially play against New Jersey tonight, but it is speculated he'll wait until Thursday against the Coyotes to make his long-anticipated return. What a difference he'll make to this insecure squad.

Look at Scott Clemmenson's stats compared to Brodeur's. Pretty close.
Look at Jason Labarbera's stats compared to Luongo's. Not so close. But in the games Labarbera has played for Vancouver he has good numbers. In 5 games he has a .917 save percentage and a 2.80 GAA. The save percentage is close to Luongo but the GAA is not.

The Devils sit 6th in the tough East, 4 points up on 8th spot Carolina.
The Canucks are clinging to 5th spot in the West, 4 points up on 8th spot Colorado.

There are a lot of Canucks who are not 'rolling' right now.
There are plenty of Devils who are:
-Patrick Elias has arisen from the dead and is already approaching his points total from last year. He has 19 goals and 48 points in 42 games this year.
-Zach "attack" Parise is leading the team in scoring with 24 goals and 49 points in 42 games played. Tell me: How the hell is this guy only named to the Eastern Conference Allstar RESERVE LIST? Good Lord. A travesty.
-Brian Gionta is another player who has rebounded from a dismal 2007-08 campaign. He currently has 10 goals and 36 points in 41 games.

So if Luongo does not play we will have a battle of the backups. 2 teams with generally the same philosophy go head-to-head.

Can the Canucks put up a more consistent effort? I'm going to go with "yes". I also really doubt Sundin will take a late penalty this time around. In fact, given the rate of his improvement (and the fact that it's January 13, I think he could have a heck of a game.

Send the Devils back to hell...or...New Jersey. Same thing. :)

Speaking of that, here is a little song to get you into the mood:



GAME TIME: 7:00 PST
TV: CANUCKS PPV

T Tags: Canucks Devils Game+preview Brodeur Luongo Clemmenson Labarbera Devils+stats hell Satan Slayer

New Jersey's reunion tour continues: Shanahan signs with Devils

First Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik in the summer. Now Brendan Shanahan will finish his career with the club he started with.

"Brendan Shanahan has agreed in principle to join the New Jersey Devils," general manager Lou Lamoriello said in a statement. "He will begin skating on his own. Brendan will join the team at a date to be determined."

Well at least the Canucks are not the only team with a rusty free agent joining their lineup mid season. Nice move by the Devils. They are already playing superb even without Martin Brodeur in net.

Way back Shanahan was traded to the Blues by the Devils for Scott Stevens. That trade had a story behind it. From Wiki:

On 25 July 1991, the St. Louis Blues signed Shanahan to a contract. According to the collective bargaining agreement, he was a restricted free-agent, and therefore, the Devils were due compensation. Ordinarily, this compensation would be in the form of draft picks, but the Blues already owed four first-round draft picks to the Washington Capitals for signing Scott Stevens the previous year. The Blues made an offer for compensation that was made up of Curtis Joseph, Rod Brind'Amour and two draft picks even further down the road. The Devils wanted Scott Stevens. An arbitrator eventually decided that Stevens was to be the compensation, and so Brendan Shanahan joined the Blues in exchange for Scott Stevens.

T Tags: Devils+sign+Brendan+Shanahan

Brodeur out 4 months

What a huge loss to the Devils. Brodeur needs surgery to repair torn bicep tendons. The only thing that has ever held Marty Brodeur out of the line up for any extended period of time was lockouts and Chris Terreri (back when Brodeur was just breaking into the league.) His chase of Patrick Roy's record will be put on hold. More importantly, I need to find a new goalie in about 5 of my 7 Yahoo Pools. Damn it.
A concerned coach Sutter could only remain positive on the exterior:

"When you have a Marty Brodeur as a goaltender and he's out for a significant amount of time sure it certainly gives you a knot in your stomach, but you have move forward," Devils coach Brent Sutter told the Bergen Record. "I'm confident and I trust the players here that they will do what needs to be done to move forward."

So now the questions abound. How well will Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmenson fill in the void? They, especially Clemmenson, will finally emerge out of the shadows.
There is a lot riding on those 2. The Devils didn't acquire guys like Holik and Rolston to just make the playoffs. They in my opinion are/were a Cup contender.
The best thing about the Devils is that can play the trap like no other. They currently sit 6th best in the NHL in shots against. We know how much Brodeur has benefited (on top of his skills) playing behind these Devils teams for the past decade and a half. So maybe the 2 backups will be alright. Time will tell.
Would the Devils take a stab at Nikolai Khabibulin now? That will depend on how Weekes and Clemmenson perform.

T Tags: Martin+Brodeur+injury out+4+months torn+bicep+tendons Devils Clemmenson Weekes

Devils put Vishnevski on waivers / Marcus Nilson can't leave Calgary

Looks like Lou Lamorielli is trying to shave some salary, to the tune of $1.4 million as the rough and tough Vishnevski was put on waivers today. Any takers? We'll see. He was a career-worst -12 with the Devils last season. He was benched by coach Sutter, and was basically the 7th defenceman.
He's not known for putting up a lot of points, but he can sure kill guys pretty well.

VishTube

- Brett McLean feels the wrath of Vishnevski.

- Boyd Gordon turns around to play the puck and bango! Vitaly shows him how to lay down real quick-like.That was a suicide pass wasn't it?

- Vishnevski sends Tjarnqvist into the boards.

- Karma. Ovechkin runs over Vishnevski. What a collision! Vitaly can take that kind of hit though. He's tough.

---

Marcus Nilson wants to get away from the Calgary Flames and Mike Keenan, but he just can't get out of his contract. According to HockeyExpressen.se, a team from the KHL is interested in Nilson, but he has one more year (at $1 million) left with the Flames.
According to the article, Nilson wanted to have his contract bought out but the Flames are not willing to do so.

"They do not want to buy me out. It was a little pity. But they can do whatever they want."

This change in attitude from Nilson contradicts how he was talking about playing in Calgary and under Keenan early last season (November). By December, he was a healthy scratch about 6 times.
He finshed the season having only played 47 games, scoring 3 goals and 5 points. He also suffered a concussion injury, by the way.
The gritty winger was mostly reduced to checking-role duty. At one point he was complaining about not being allowed to play enough 5-on-5 and was being used as a penalty killer mostly.
I don't think this news has not even hit the North American papers yet, but I'm sure it will soon.

MarcusTube

- Nilson drops the gloves with Marty "beyond all" Reasoner.

T Tags: Devils+put+Vitaly+Vishnevski+on+waivers Marcus+Nilson+wants+out+of+Calgary buyout

Zany's take on the playoffs so far: Avery, penalties, dives and Thornton

I find it very difficult to post anything during these playoffs lately. That is, until yesterday's games and events.
Some days I can hate Sean Avery. But I really couldn't help but laugh at what he was doing to screen Martin Brodeur during Sunday's game. That was awesome comedic stuff. Brodeur was bewildered.

"I've played for 15 years in this league. I've been watching games for 33 years. I had never seen that in my life," Brodeur said. "I don't think that kind of behavior should be done in front of the net, but there is no rule for it."

Well, the NHL changed that in a New York minute. Today the NHL quickly added a new rule and stated that "An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play." Those are the words of Colin Campbell.
And you knew he had to do something about it. If Avery got off free from that, then you'd be seeing that type of screening in other games as well...really quick-like. But you have to hand it to Avery. For a guy that acts like a meathead most of the time, he found a little grey area in the NHL rulebook and flaunted it for the whole world to see.
I got a great laugh out of that.

---

I am overly sick of all the damned penalties though. The inconsistencies of calls, the dives, the blown calls, the even-up calls. Christ, this sport is turning into soccer.
Out of 96 goals scored in the playoffs so far (thru Sunday), 32 of them were on the powerplay. That is about 33%. Seem a little high? I had originally thought it was a lot higher. In 19 playoffs games, there have been 176 powerplays. That's 9 per game average.
I'd like to do a percentage of those that were dives or embellishments, but I've lost track. With the refs calling the penalties even more in the OT's now than before, I don't want to see too many games being decided by weak or chincey calls, let alone a Stanley Cup-winning game. Can you imagine a dive deciding a Stanley Cup Finals game?? I shudder at the thought.
It's just too many penalties for me regardless. I'd like to see this obstruction rule go away, or for the players to stop putting their sticks on opposing players. Either/or. Just make it stop, please.

---

What a win by Calgary last night. And what a performance by Curtis Joseph. Good to see ol' Cujo back up his "I still have a lot left in me" statement.
Now, is this the knife in the back for San Jose? It could very well be. All I know is 2 things:
1. Nobody is bashing Mike Keenan now.
2. Joe Thornton is not proving himself and does not have anything more than one dimension (or gear) in his game. He constantly floats in both zones and looks like a damned slug. But if you get the puck to him behind the net and the opposing team gives him a bit of space back there, then LOOK OUT! But that's all I'm really seeing from him.
Patrick Marleau however, played a heroic game despite the loss, and really bounced back ofter Cory Sarich decked him.
Marleau and especially Nabokov called some players out after the game. From the Sharks' site:

Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov was very direct in his postgame comments about some “boys needing to act like men” and his teammates backed up those thoughts.
“Some guys aren’t pulling their weight,” Marleau said.

Yeah, that includes YOU, Thornton. Prove yourself in the playoffs for once. Hell, the guy reminds me of an oversized Sedin sometimes.

T Tags: Avery+screens+Brodeur rule+change NHL+Playoffs+penalties diving Joe+Thornton+playoff+performance

Thursday NHL Links and stories

A crazy story coming out of Montreal:

The city's mayor is seeing red - and white and blue - after firefighters painted several fire stations to show their support for the Montreal Canadiens.
As the Habs prepared to face the Boston Bruins in the first game of their playoff series on Thursday, Mayor Gerald Tremblay was getting ready to send in work crews to clean up the impromptu paint jobs.
"And we're going to send the bill to the (firefighters') union... it's tolerance zero," he said.

I guess the point there is that the city is trying to stop the grafitti issue and it doesn't help deter the issue when firefighters paint Habs logos all over the stations. Check out the rest of that story. It's a good read. Hate to say it, but I agree with the mayor on that one.

---

The Ottawa Sun also had a piece on the reaction of Sens fans after the game 1 loss to the Pens. One fan quipped:

When the boogie-man goes to bed, he first checks his closet and under his bed for Gary Roberts.

Indeed. Gary Roberts was playing on the 4th line and was a force out there. Even though I hate the Pens with all that I am, I really am a big fan of Gary Roberts. He just keeps ticking, and looks to be a Sens killer again. Sens fans seem to be feeling quite pessimistic right now, and I don't blame them. But like one fan said, "suck it up and cheer for the team to turn it around."
Word is that Alfredsson is only riding and exercise bike at this point and is recovering from neck and back injuries. That means that he probably won't play in round 1. Hey, I or you can say all you want about European captains, but this is a serious blow to Ottawa. Alfie proved himself to be a great leader in last year's playoffs.

---

Can you believe that the Sharks finished the regular season with an 18-2-1-1 record? It's no suprise that the Flames win over San Jose was a shock. What are they planning to do to change their fate?

"We just need to get more traffic on him," Sharks center Joe Thornton said. "We gave him shots that he saw and when he sees the shot he's going to save it every time. We're going to have to work for our goals this series."

There is a potential upset in the making in this series, but can you really trust the Flames to be consistent and finish off the Sharks? Not me.

---

Sure, Martin Brodeur gaffed on Callahan's go-ahead goal last night and the Rangers never looked back. But that's not the point. The Devils need to score more goals, and it doesn't help that captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who is a player that can get this team rolling, is pointless in his last 5 games. He also only has 2 goals in his last 14 games. If Langenbrunner doesn't snap out of it, the Devils are probably done. Oh yeah, you can also tack on the fact that Scott Gomez looks primed to bury his old team.
More bad news for the Devils: Brian Gionta is nursing a "sore side". He did not play much in the 3rd period last night.
Even more bad news for New Jersey: What the hell is wrong with Patrick Elias? His production has tanked for too long.

T tags: Montreal+firemen+graffiti Gary+Roberts Senators+killer Alfredsson+injury+update Brian+Gionta+injury Scott+Gomez+is+the+man Langenbrunner+cold

Canucks-Devils post game thoughts

Make Brodeur look stupidly human: check
Luongo look like God: check
Convert on the power play: not (0-for-5)
Get the Sedins going: check (5 points total) They weren't held in check very well
Your captain persists through the flu and plays like a monster: check
All players on your team put out a 100% effort for 60 minutes: check
Jason Jaffray breaks out and puts up super offensive numbers: not (13:39 icetime 0 points, 1 shot on goal). Mason Raymond played only 9:43 and had 3 shots on goal.

Bottom line: An ass kicking that was a treat to watch.
The race is ongoing for top spot in the Northwest. The Wild also won last night, so they are leading the NW Pack by 1 win, with 1 less game played. damn.

BOX SCORE

T Tags: Canucks Devils Review Luongo+is+god

Canucks-Devils Preview: Luongod against the Devil Brodeur

New Jersey Devils: 18-12-3, 2nd in the East
Vancouver Canucks: 17-12-4, 6th in the West

It's not very often that Canuck fans get to see the Devils play in Vancouver. It has not happened since December 29, 2001, where we beat them 4-2. I don't even remember that. But I do know that Jan Hlavac had 2 goals and Peter Skudra was in net for the win.
The main focus tonight will be on the goalies, as the 2 best (arguably-not) go head-to-head. Canucks.com has some crazy stats on Martin Brodeur:

Brodeur is 11-1-1 with a 1.68 goals-against average and two shutouts in his last 13 starts. He hasn't been nearly as dominant in 14 starts against the Canucks, however, going 6-8-0 with a 2.59 GAA. Brodeur ended a personal five-game skid to Vancouver with a 3-0 win in the teams' last meeting Jan. 13, 2006.

I can't find anywhere that states Luongo's record against New Jersey. Can anyone help me there?
The Devils were red hot as soon as Jamie Langenbrunner had returned but have since cooled off, winning only 2 of their last 5 games.
The Canucks are faring worse, having lost 4 of their last 5.
You could say that both teams have scoring issues, as both are in the bottom half of the NHL in goals for. Yet their goals against is in the top half of the League.
So we could be looking at a low-scoring affair here.

Don't blink, Nucks fans, but we are 4 points from being out of a playoff spot. The team will trudge forward without Brendan Morrison, Brad Isbister, Jeff Cowan and Kevin Bieksa. Markus Naslund is battling the flu but should play.

The Devils are healthy, minus only Jay Pandolfo and Cam Janssens. (Thank god, no Janssens. He's a beast.)

So let's see what happens tonight. It's 2 teams that play the same and have superb goalies. Regardless, I say this game ends 2-1 in Vancouver's favor, as they return home 'rested'.

Hate to say it, but I am a big Zach Parise fan. The kid has skills that we will see first-hand tonight.

Luongo on his ribs:

“It feels good, I didn’t have any issues when I’m on the ice, so that’s a good thing. I was able to get through practice with no discomfort and no pain, so it’s really feeling good. Hopefully I’ll stay on top of it and it won’t get worse.”

ENEMY BLOG FROM HELL: 2 Man Advantage. Actually, you really gotta check that site out. It's really picked up and has Photoshop skills. 2MA's Joe Bechtel has the Devils winning this one 3-2 in a shootout. We'll see about that. If the game does go to a shootout, I have no faith in Vancouver scoring more than 1 goal.

Game Time: 7:00 PST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific

T Tags: Canucks Devils Preview Luongo Brodeur defence

Back from the Woods

We just got back from a 4 day campout up in Manning Park. As you can see from the picture, the wildlife there has been in a lot of contact with humans. The pic is of a marmot that lived on top of one of the mountains. We drove by his den and he ran out to great us at the car, looking for food. My wife and I fed him about a half container of sour cream n' onion Pringles and took about 20 pics of the ordeal. Hopefully the poor bugger didn't get sick. He actually bit my thumb knuckle at one point.
The deer in the park were overly tame as well. The doe's would hang out with their fawns and show hardly any fear at all. Closest I've ever been to a deer (within 4 feet).
Sheeit. I haven't showered since last Friday night and I still smell Zestfully clean!
So what the heck is going on in the hockey world? I had no cell range at the park and refused to listen to the radio or buy a newspaper.

I see the Devils are busy trying to assemble a team. They signed JL Grand-Pierre, Ian Moran to increase their defensive depth and also signed Noah Clarke. I wonder how competitive these Devils will be next season. A lot of that will depend on how well Zach Parise replaces Scott Gomez.

I wonder how much more Locomotiv of the Russian Super League will be paying Alexei Yashin than anyone in the NHL would. They sought after Yashin pretty hard apparently.
Oh well, adiose Yashin. Let the door hit your ass on the way out of North America.

The Bruins finally relieved their log jam in goal by trading Hannu Toivenen to the Blues in exchange for 22-year-old Swedish center Carl Soderberg. Soderberg has no NHL experience and was drafted by the Blues 49th overall in 2004. Is it just me or do his stats look completely inconsistent?

I really like the Emery signing at 3 years, $9.5 million. That is affordable and fair. But that does make Carolina's signing of Cam Ward at $2.66 million per season after winning the Cup look like a complete bargain doesn't it?

Well, this country boy is heading to the big city in the next few days. If I see Jan Bulis I'll kick him in the nuts for you guys!

Later.

T Tags: Bruins+trade+Toivenen Manning+Park Devils+sign+three

Lamoriello / Sutter Caption

"In some ways we both come from the same school," Sutter said of Lamoriello. "I am not saying there won't be times where people disagree, but I have learned through it all, you don't want to agree all the time. You need discussion whether good or bad. The important thing is to make decisions that are right for the front of that jersey, that's what matters."

"There doesn't have to be a tremendous amount of love between the players and their head coach. There has to be a tremendous amount of respect," Sutter said. "I demand respect. I demand hard work. I'll do everything I can and I expect the same thing back from the players."

Sutter knows what he is getting himself into and how little job security there is being a coach of the Devils.
But he will make this team work hard, and will have to find ways to make this team score by committee, as the departures of Gomez and Rafalski were replaced by Karel Rachunek and Dainus Zubrus.
Sutter should do just fine, and the Devils will remain competitive. But it will be a suprise if they finish any higher than 6th in the East this coming season, barring some unforeseen blockbuster deal that puts them back into contention.






T Tags: Devils Lamoriello Sutter Press+Conference Photoshop

Brent Sutter to coach the Devils?

TSN is reporting that it's sources are saying that Brent Sutter is going to step down as the head coach and general manager of the WHL's Red Deer Rebels to possibly become the next head coach of the New Jersey Devils.
Sutter coached the Rebels to a 35-28-4 record last season, but lost in 7 games to the Medice Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals in the playoffs.
Sutter bought the team in 1999 and has also coached them to 3 Eastern Conference Championships and 1 Memorial Cup in 2001.
In 2005 and 2006, Sutter was the head coach of the Canadian National Junior team and won gold medals both years. The Junior team is unbeaten under Sutter.

NHL Resume

-drafted 17th overall by the Islanders in 1980.
-won the Stanley Cup in 1982 and 1983 with the Islanders Dynasty
-played 18 seasons in the NHL with the Islanders and Black Hawks.
-in 1111 regular season games played, Sutter scored 363 goals, 466 assists, and 829 points. The tenacious and feisty Sutter also had 1054 penalty minutes.
-he had 30 goals and 74 points in 144 career NHL playoff games.
-a tough dude. I can remember him playing on several occasions with a bloody face. After all, he is a Sutter.

That should translate into his coaching ability. At the same time, who the hell would want to coach under Lou Lamoriello? He might get turfed a few games before the playoffs start.

Rumor is that Brent's brother Brian will take over the helm in Red Deer.

SutterTube

Brent Sutter gets jersey'd and beaten by Garth Butcher.

The Sutter Brothers Story Part 1

The Sutter Brothers Part 2

The Sutter Brothers Part 3

The Sutter Brothers Part 4

T Tags: Brent+Sutter coach Devils

Canucks sign Krajicek / More news

It's a 2-year deal worth $2.2 million. Krajicek was a restricted free agent. He has found a home in Vancouver and fits in well as a dependable defenceman. Krajicek matured leaps and bounds in a Canucks uniform and really made the Bertuzzi trade look worse for Florida. He had 3 goals and 16 points last season.

The Leafs have signed UFA Bates Battaglia to a $1.3 million deal. I am not suprised by this. Battaglia fit in well in a checking role, scoring 12 goals and 31 points. Battaglia has played several years with Paul Maurice with Toronto and Carolina.
Now watch him get traded. The Leafs are still rumored to be chasing Slava Kozlov.

Hockey Analysis is updated as far as NHL team-by-team salaries go. Nice work, David! Now you can see where the New York Rangers stand in cap commitments. They are at about $36.7 million with big names like Shanahan, Lundqvist and Avery still to sign (and about 7 others).
Check out where the Canucks stand. It further confirms Nonis' bargain-hunting stance, or willingness to make a trade to clear a bit of cap space.

It is being reported that the Kings have signed Tom Preissing to a 4-year $11 million contract.

After not having the option of dumping the salaries of a Malakhov and Mogilny this year, Lou Lamoriello, the crafty dog, lost both Gomez and Rafalski. It is reported that Lou asked Devils' management to take him out behind the barn, shoot him, and put him out of his misery.
Really though, Lou said: "We really wanted him (Rafalski) to stay. It just comes down to the fiscal aspect of decisions and what you can afford in putting a team together while respecting the other players. We just couldn't compete with some of the numbers out there. No animosity. This is the unfortunate part of the game. Money has a way of making decisions.
We have tremendous confidence in Andy Greene, Johnny Oduya and Paul Martin."

Watch out for Andy Greene. He looks poised to take over for Rafalski.

The Hawks have signed GM Dave Tallon to a 2 year extension.

"I'm very excited that the Blackhawks have given me the opportunity to continue to work toward our goal of winning the Stanley Cup," said Tallon.

How about just making the playoffs first, Dave. The Hawks are in the worst funk in NHL history, but at least Tallon brought in guys like Khabibulin and Havlat to turn the tide a little.


T Tags: Canucks+sign+Krajicek Rangers+salary Kings+sign+Preissing

Signings

Brian Burke wasted no time in signing forwards Travis Moen and George Parros to 2-year contracts, according to the OC Register. Dollar figures were not yet disclosed.

The Devils have signed Andy Greene to a 2-year $1.2 million deal. The 24-year old Greene looked good in the playoffs as a depth defenceman.

The Flyers signed D Lars Johnsson to a 1-year $600,000 deal yesterday. Word is they will have Antero Nittymakki signed by tomorrow.

T Tags: Ducks+sign+Moen+Parros Devils+sign+Greene Flyers+sign+Jonsson+Nittymakki

Islanders 3 Devils 2 (SO)

It's all Islanders so far. They are pressing hard, and the Devils look very uncoordinated.
Richard Park bags the first one after a scramble in front of the net. The 2nd goal for Park in his last 2 games. Why couldn't he still be a Canuck?
I don't like Lamoriello's decision to start Clemmenson in goal. It's a big fuck-you to Toronto, and maybe that is his point. There is no love between Toronto and New Jersey....at all.

7:30 2nd Period
Same same. The Devils have generated nothing at all so far. The Islanders are fighting for their lives. No knocking Clemmenson though. He is holding a lifeless team in it. One more goal by the Isles and it's pretty much over.
Isles goalie Wade Dubielewicz looks like he's going to post a shutout.
Where the hell is John Maclean and Claude Lemieux when you need them?

Brodeur's response to not playing tonight:

"We went from playing half a game, one period, two periods, the whole game, not playing," said Brodeur, referring to a conversation he had with Lamoriello pregame. "We went through everything, and I think this is the right thing to do."

As far as the backlash from the Leafs for not playing, Brodeur said:

"I've got to put it out of my mind. I am going to make the best out of this week to get myself better preparation and be injury free and be free of the workload. You get calls from everybody. You can't please. Hopefully we'll win and I won't have to deal with this."

13:30 3rd period
NOW the Devils are playing with more effort. But they can't beat Dubie.

12:00 (3rd)
Richard Park scores again! Richard Park the Leaf destroyer! The Leaf raker! 2-0. This game needs to end now. The Devils have accomplished their mission: Screw the Leafs!!!

3:00 (3rd)
Well, the Devils are making a game out of it. John Madden deflects one in. At least we get a good finish here!
Will Park get an empty netter?

1:34 (3rd)
The Devils are pressing now, and the Islanders look stressed.

1:17
Devils call a time out. Lou says nothing. The assistant coach does the talking.
Play resumes, Clemmenson is on the bench. Brendan Witt blocks a point shot, puck goes out of play.
Devils keep pressing, Ryan Smyth blocks a shot! 36.6 seconds left and Gomez goes in offside. There are 3 Islanders laying in front of every point shot.
Devils tie it with 1 second left!!! Holy shit!!! Or did they???
.9 seconds left on the clock!!! We are going to OT!!!I don't fucking believe it!!
John Madden is the new John Maclean!

OT
I can't believe this is happening.
The Isles are shaking it off and pressing. But both teams are. At least the Devils are finally inspired.
Clemmenson stones Satan with 2.5 minutes left. Is this going to a shootout??
Ryan Smyth is an animal by the way. He's pouring his heart out, laying in front of shots, giving his left testicle.
Oh shit. A hooking call on Madden, who hooked MA Bergeron. There's only 30 seconds left. Oh boy.
Phew. The Devils kill the clock, and we are going to a shootout.
Can you imagine the Leaf players right now? They're all drinking I'll bet.

Shootout
Dubie has Yoda on his mask. May the force not be with him.
Lou and the Devils are laughing about something on the bench.
Satan- scores over Clemmenson's right pad.
Parise-woa sweet moves and makes Dubie look silly
Kozlov-5-hole goal!....
Gionta-poke check by Dubie!
Smyth- uh-oh....stopped by Clemmenson!
Brylin- poke check again by Dubie! It's over!!!

What a great set of poke checks by the Islanders goalie. Man oh man.

Islanders play the Sabres.
Leafs play the links.

Tech Tags: Devils Islanders Leafs Playoffs

Lou Lamoriello: Genius or Evil Sith Lord?

I guess we shouldn't be overly suprised that Lou fired Claude Julien yesterday. He is an aggressive individual. On March 23, 2000, Lou fired coach Robbie Ftorek with only 8 games left in the season and replaced him with Larry Robinson. The Devils went on to win the Cup.
The situation this time is a bit different. In 2000, the Devils were in a 5-10-2 slump. At this point, the Devils are not in the same predicament. However, they have only won 5 of their last 10 games, and 11 of their last 20. That will not be good enough for Lou.

"I don't think we're at a point of being ready both mentally and [physically] to play the way that is necessary going into the playoffs," Lamoriello said outside an empty Devils locker room at the Continental Airlines Arena. "I am not saying that is going to change. But I think there has to be better focus going forward."

Consider the message sent. Apparently the players were stunned and silent after the news was broken to them.
You have to think that Lou is also concerned over the Devils potentially losing their grip on top spot in the Atlantic. The Penguins are the better team in their last 10 games, going 7-2-1, and are only 1 point behind.
I think the Devils are going to respond immediately, and probably become a force in the playoffs.
That would make Lou Lamoriello an Evil Sith Lord Genius, wouldn't it?

Tech Tags: Devils
Lou Lamoriello
Fired

The Dancing Brodeur

I guess Marty thought this dance would distract the Penguins enough to make them lose. It didn't work. The Devils lost 3-0!




OK I kid. It was just a kickass fan having a good time. Love the reaction between the Pens assistant coach and Marc-Andre Fleury though. Notice how they try not to acknowledge him? Thanks to Ben at American Hockey Fan for finding and posting this!

New Jersey Devils Blog

Thanks to a referral by Greg at The Fourth Period who referred me to a Devils blog (because I didn't have any Devils blogs in my sidebar) called 2 Man Advantage. 2MA is a great witty site created by 2 folks named Patricia Greuter and Joe Bechtel. They have a comedic writing style that is worth reading, and Photoshop skills to boot, as the image for this post shows. Good stuff. If you need a sore gut from laughing, check out that damn site.