(Photo: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports)
Ryan Miller
The St. Louis Blues welcomed back their hometown fans with a 4 to 2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ryan Miller’s home debut for the Blues was a success and he was given a warm welcome by Blues’ fans as he stopped 15 of 17 shots.
St. Louis went down early, 2 to 0, heading into the second period but they appeared unfazed by the deficit. The Blues came out firing in the second period and controlled the puck, which lead to Patrik Berglund giving the Blues their first goal of the night at 3:32 into the period. Before the second period expired T.J. Oshie scored a short handed goal to tie the game up at two.
Both teams came out ready to battle in the third period but the Blues came out on top. Alexander Steen scored at 3:47 into the period to put the Blues up by one goal. The Tampa Bay Lightning even pulled their goalie in the final minutes of the game to try and tie the game up, but the Blues puck possession was strong all night, and capitalizing on turnovers in their own defensive zone, led the Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko to score an empty net goal at 19:21 into the final period. With this victory, the Blues are now back on top of the Central Division with 88 points. The Blues face Central Division rivals, the Nashville Predators, at 7PM (CST) in St. Louis at the Scottrade Center.
(photo: Associated Press/ Marcio Jose Sanchez)
The San Jose Sharks looked to start their home stand with a win and the slumping Carolina Hurricanes were desperate for a win, their last 5 starts losses. Canes netminder Anton Khudobin, who just signed a two-year contract with Carolina, nailed the win, making 35 saves by the end of overtime to help give the team the 3-2 overtime win over the Sharks.
Head Coach Todd McLellan viewed the game as two segments. “We were struggling to find our legs, our execution, we were flat. We turned a lot of pucks over and they gained some momentum off of it. The second half we started to look the way we needed to and played hard. The goaltender made some very good stops and we had our chances in overtime as well.”
Carolina took the ice in control in the first period of play, forcing Sharks netminder Alex Stalock to make some key saves to keep the Canes scoreless through most of the play. San Jose didn’t do much to maintain possession of the puck and Carolina’s Jiri Tlusty found the back of the net first on a breakaway splitting the Sharks defense pair of Jason Demers and Scott Hannan and it would be 1-0 Canes.
The Sharks didn’t trail for long as a minute later Tyler Kennedy collected a pass from Andrew Desjardins along the boards and fired it toward Khudobin. As the rebound popped out Martin Havlat literally fell to make the play, the puck connecting with his stick to tie the game 1-1.
James Sheppard created the next opportunity for the Sharks behind the Hurricanes net as he forced a turnover and fed the puck to a waiting Raffi Torres. As Torres received it, Brent Burns came into the slot and Torres made the pass to Burns who spun and then fired it on net beating Khudobin and breaking his 19-game scoring drought.
“It was very encouraging. He (Burns) was in the right spot,” said McLellan. “He shot the puck and I thought he did some other things well within the game. The monkey is off his back now and he can get back to relaxing and playing the way he needs to.”
The second period of play progressed in much the same fashion for the Sharks and Stalock again had to make some critical saves. Most of the period had the Hurricanes in San Jose’s zone and their time spent in Sharks territory finally paid off. Carolina forward Eric Staal worked the puck behind San Jose’s net after Andrej Sekera made the initial pass. The Sharks defense seemed to be caught up in all the action along the boards, letting Elias Lindholm drift into the slot. Staal sent it to the front and Lindholm one-timed it past Stalock to tie the game 2-2.
The third period of play brought the Sharks out of their sluggishness, firing 16 shots on net. Logan Couture and Tommy Wingels generated most of the activity around the Hurricane net but Khudobin was able to turn all of the shots away to force an overtime frame. With just under a minute left in overtime, Elias Lindholm and Andrej Sekera were the playmakers again and Jay Harrison netted the game winner. Stalock had drifted to cover Lindholm’s shot but couldn’t shuffle to catch Harrison who skated in to Lindholm’s pass and tucked the puck in the net.
“I followed the puck the whole way,” said Stalock on the overtime goal. “They got the bounce and their guy was there at the right time. It ended up right on his tape and I don’t know what you do.”
Despite the Sharks loss, there were some bright spots for the team. The third and fourth lines showed some of their strength tonight and, despite three goals against, Stalock in his first back-to-back start kept the team in the game for two periods of play, making the big saves when they were needed. James Sheppard who’s had 5 points in his last 5 games demonstrated his desire to be a contender for the center spot on the third line.
“I’m just trying to take it to the next level. I just want to keep progressing and keep the foot on the pedal,” said Sheppard of his drive coming out of the Olympic break. “I want to be the best player I can and if I can play third line center then that’s an honor for me.”
Todd McLellan praised his game and his desire and he sees the desperation in Sheppard’s game. “He is at a bit of a crossroads in his career and I think he has figured it out…He is becoming a very effective player for us,” said McLellan. “If he continues to play like that, we have ourselves a very good player.”
The Sharks will look for a win at home when they take on another Eastern Conference team, the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
The hockey gods may have displayed their most twisted sense of humor to date. Tuesday afternoon it was announced that the Vancouver Canucks and the Florida Panthers had reached a trade agreement. Vancouver is sending Robert Luongo to Florida in exchange for the Panthers’ goaltending prospect Jacob Markstrom and centerman Shawn Matthias.
While the media awaited Tim Thomas in Boston after the Panthers loss to the Bruins, 4-1, the jokes abounded as to how many questions would be asked before someone mentioned Luongo. Not surprisingly the answer to that was clearly none. In fact, the bulk of the scrum was about the breaking news on the trade.
Tim Thomas (Photo: Rhonda McClure)
Questions were asked about if Thomas felt he and Luongo could play on the same team. He was sure they could, but his sense of humor was in full display. He said he was sure the media had probably already come up with it, but that he had been thinking about a good response for the questions.
“Dale [Tallon] went kicking some tires and found one that needed pumping.” Thomas laughed.
The media around him bowed to his one-liner, as they said he had outdone them in this department.
Each time Thomas plays in TD Garden, since leaving the Bruins, and he and Tuukka Rask chat while stretching at the centerline, everyone wants to know what they discuss. This time those surrounding him were curious if Rask asked him about the trade, but it was nothing so dramatic. Turned out Rask asked Thomas how he spent his Olympic break. And of course, Thomas already knew what Rask had been up to during that time.
Just five days ago, Panthers general manager Dale Tallon insisted to the media that there would be no fire sale as the trade deadline approached. While it may not be a fire sale, this trade could certainly be categorized as a fire storm.
Thomas was a little surprised by the trade, saying that he didn’t want to say too much until he had a chance to talk to Tallon. He did say he felt that Luongo was a good goalie and that from everything he had heard, Luongo had a “good character.”
Back in the Bruins’ locker room, forward Milan Lucic, who dropped the gloves during Tuesday’s game against Panthers Krys Barch (who would then choose his usual dance partner, Shawn Thornton, later in the evening), was asked his thoughts on the trade. After all, Lucic does hail from Vancouver.
“It was pretty funny,” he laughed. “I’m sure they’ll have a lot of fun together to end off the year.”
Lucic pointed out that Vancouver had talked about trading Luongo for a long time now. Finally a deal was done. How it works out is perhaps on both goalies’ minds, as they both prefer to be the starting goalie.
“I think it’s just funny,” Lucic continued, “that [Luongo] ends up being teammates with Tim Thomas; two guys that obviously battled in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.”
When asked how he thought the two would do, Lucic took a wait and see attitude. “We’ll see how they pair up together and how they finish off.”
Thomas seems to be taking a similar approach, alluding to feeling a little uninformed at that point. He did insist that the news of the trade did nothing to his concentration during the game.
“I don’t know what they [Panthers management] are planning there. I don’t know anything at this point.” he said. “I gotta see the situation. I’d like to check in with Dale before I really comment.”
During his meeting with the press after the game, Bruins head coach Claude Julien was asked what he expected of the two goalies when the Bruins take on the Panthers for their final regular season game on Sunday down in Sunrise, Florida.
“Let’s see if they’re still teammates tomorrow,” he responded, alluding to the 3:00pm trade deadline.
But like everyone else watching this play out, Julien couldn’t resist a little tongue-in-cheek.
“There will be a lot of tire pumping.” he grinned.
And the hockey gods may truly have the last laugh on this one.
(photo: Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)
For the past several years, Roberto Luongo‘s relationship with the Vancouver Canucks has been strained. Between a few years competing with Cory Schneider for the #1 spot in net, and more recently, getting benched in favor of Eddie Lack for several games (including the Heritage Classic); it should come as no surprise that the goaltender has been sent back to the place he once called home: South Florida. The only question is why this trade didn’t happen a year ago, when Vancouver instead sent Schneider packing.
Luongo’s simple tweet – a palm tree emoji – sums up how he feels about the move, one that he expressed interest in as far back as late 2012. The move fits for Luongo. His children were born here, he became an All-Star goalie here, and his family has had an offseason home here during his days with Vancouver. During a practice session at the Florida Panthers’ practice facility in September, 2012, Luongo spoke with the Sun Sentinel about his future and his hopes of returning to the Panthers.
“[The Panthers] makes sense for myself, for my career and my family,” said Luongo, “This is a preferred location for obvious reasons, but I’m not shutting the door on other possibilities.”
The move apparently made sense for Panthers GM Dale Tallon as well, even if it happened a year later than everyone expected. Since the initial rumors that Luongo would don the Cats sweater again, Tallon maintained that it would happen “for the right price,” a price that didn’t include future talents like Quinton Howden or Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers did end up sending some future talent Vancouver’s way, however. Jacob Markstrom, previously considered by many to be the goaltender of the future for Florida, and Shawn Matthias were part of the Luongo deal which also includes CHL left winger Steven Anthony coming to the Panthers. Also reportedly part of the deal, Vancouver has agreed to retain 15% of Luongo’s current salary on their own cap, about $800,000 a season for the next eight years.
The move means that the foes of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final will now be teammates as Luongo joins Tim Thomas in Florida. The tandem could be spectacular, but also seems to have to potential to bring back Luongo’s starter woes, as he could be right back where he was fighting for the #1 spot in goal. Nevertheless, Luongo expressed surprise and excitement when he learned about the move, for which he had to waive his no-trade clause.
“This caught me off guard,” Luongo said after learning he had finally been traded. “But I’m excited. I’m going home.”
(photo credit: Amanda Hertel)
By Hayley Musashi
On Tuesday morning, Gwinnett Gladiators captain Joey Haddad was honored as the Sher-Wood Hoceky ECHL Player of the Week for Feb. 24- March 2, after recording four goals and adding four assists for eight points as the Gladiators went 3-1-0 in competition last week.
The Sydney, Nova Scotia, native scored a shorthanded goal in a 4-1 victory over Evansville on Tuesday, recorded three points (1 goals, 2 assists) in a 4-2 win over Florida on Friday, had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 win against the Everblades on Saturday and concluded the week with a goal in a 5-3 loss against Florida on Sunday.
The 25-year-old leads the Gladiators this season with 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) in 50 games and is currently riding a five-game win streak. In 218 career ECHL games, Haddad has recorded 162 points (77 goals, 85 assists) and has added 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in 64 career American Hockey League games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Bridgeport, and Hamilton.
The next goal Haddad scores will be his 50th in a Gladiator sweater.
The Gladiators are members of the ECHL, the nation’s premier “AA” hockey league and are affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL. Gwinnett’s next home game is Friday, March 14th against the Carolina Stingrays.
On behalf of Haddad, a case of pucks will be donated to the Gwinnett youth hockey organization by Sher-Wood Hockey, the exclusive puck supplier of the ECHL.
Photo: nyhockeyprospects.com
With the trade deadline approaching quickly, Rangers GM Glenn Sather will have to act fast on either agreeing to terms with captain Ryan Callahan, or sign a new star right-winger to replace him. The Rangers are firm with their offer – $6 million per year for a 6-year contract extension.
But numbers can be tricky, as Ryan Callahan is asking for $500,000 more for $6.5 million per season. After agreeing to terms with defenseman Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan expresses his interest staying in New York. Callahan states that New York is where he wants to be, and to focus on what he can do for the team.
There’s no denying other teams are looking at him though, being one of the most appealing free agents in the league. The word on Marty St. Louis is that now he himself is seeking a trade along with Canucks center Ryan Kesler. Could the Rangers be shopping around for replacements? A long-time defensive-minded team, the Rangers could use two elite top-scoring players.
The trade deadline ends tomorrow, and general managers around the NHL need to make careful decisions, as the run for the Stanley Cup has already begun.
Photo: Oilers
With a flurry of activity leading up to the NHL trade deadline, the Minnesota Wild have acquired goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The pick was originally acquired from the Buffalo Sabres on April 13, 2013, as part of the deal that brought Jason Pominville to the Wild last year.
“Bryzgalov is a quality veteran who adds depth to the goaltending position for our team,” said Wild GM Chuck Fletcher.
Bryzgalov a native of Russia, has had a lengthy tenure in the NHL, but found himself bouncing from team to team in recent seasons. Playing 445 NHL games throughout 12 seasons with Anaheim, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Edmonton posting a 213-157-50 record with a 2.57 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and 31 shutouts.
Perhaps a jump into the wild will be exactly what is needed for the 33-year-old.
The NHL trade deadline comes at 3 p.m. EST tomorrow and the flurry of activity is just heating up.
Photo credit: McCall Ospreys
Here at The Pink Puck we love to mention the women who are not only fans of the game, but those who also play it! This weekend, a few of these women will skate into McCall, Idaho for the tenth annual Chix with Stix Tournament, hosted by the McCall Ospreys. While many of you may not be familiar with the Ospreys, the team strives to promote hockey to women and girls in McCall, helping to grow the sports we love.
The Ospreys convey exactly who they are and what they look to accomplish via their website;
“We are women of all ages, backgrounds, and interests coming together to play hockey. Our player’s ages range from 18 to over 50 years old. Our members have a variety of backgrounds, from highly educated professionals to high school students. We are active members of the community, articulate, and enthusiastic about playing hockey and representing the community.
The sportsmanship and enthusiasm of these ladies makes them excellent role models for kids and adults alike. All of these things create a positive image for the community and our sponsors. The McCall Ospreys Women’s Hockey Team brings a novel approach to the fast paced, action packed sport of ice hockey.
Our focus is to have fun, promote hockey for girls and women, and develop McCall’s reputation as a hockey town.”
If you’re in McCall this weekend, be sure to take in a few games and support the sport we all love and the women who are playing it!
The tournament will be held at the Manchester Ice Center, and a full tournament schedule can be seen here.
(Photo credit: Bernd Brückler)
Bernd Brückler’s recently published book This is Russia offers a look at what it is like to play in the Kontinental’naya Hokkeynaya Liga (KHL), primarily from his viewpoint as an import player. Import players are those who are not native born to the Russian Federation. And for many import players the differences from the other hockey leagues around the world are, in some words, drastic and dramatic.
Brückler’s years in the KHL encompassed the 2009-10 to the 2011-12 seasons where he played for two different teams: Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and Sibir Novosibirsk. While with the teams, he kept a diary, which he then used, in cooperation with Risto Parkarinen, a Finnish hockey writer, as the basis for his book.
Brückler is what many North American hockey fans would refer to as a journeyman. And what a journey he has had. He has played goalie for the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), United States Hockey League (USHL), NCAA, ECHL, American Hockey League (AHL), Liiga (Finland), KHL, and has represented Austria in a number of international competitions, as he was born in Graz, Austria. He currently plays for Austria’s EC Red Bull Salzburg.
Though the book is mostly about his time in the KHL, Brückler begins his story with his earliest life. His experiences in the juniors in Alberta, Canada show not only his determination but also some of the potential problems when a young teenage boy is living with a host or “billet” family as he strives to perfect his skills in an effort to make it to the professional ranks in hockey. Brucker’s willingness to travel half way around the world to play hockey speaks volumes of his commitment to the sport. Perhaps what is most interesting about Brückler’s book is his ability to describe so vividly his experiences throughout those three seasons in the KHL, during which the KHL experienced the loss of the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in a plane crash disaster.
Interview
After reading the book, I had an opportunity to interview Brückler, who graciously took time from his still very busy schedule that encompasses a family and professional hockey, to offer insightful answers.
(Photo credit: Bernd Brückler)
The Pink Puck: Is it unfair for North American hockey fans to dismiss, as has-beens, those NHL players who choose to go to the KHL to play?
Bernd Brückler: Yes, I think so. The KHL has established itself as a very good league and they are getting better every year.
TPP: In your book you write, “The coach is the king, or the tsar, and his word is your law. Maybe he puts you through a hard run, or maybe he makes you sit through a long meeting after a bad game, and you stick it out. I loved that.” Were you being sarcastic here? If not, what was it about this approach that appealed to you?
BB: Maybe there is some sarcasm in me saying I loved this when talking about a very hard run. However, what I liked about the approach is that the players didn’t complain but instead just worked through the tasks at hand.
TPP: You said, “In the KHL, I sometimes felt that the coaches weren’t even on my side.” However, you indicate that you would go back. What is it about the KHL that you would consider returning?
BB: The level of play is excellent and I actually enjoyed the experiences I had of living in Russia. Every day was an adventure and even after having lived in Russia for a few years, there were still plenty of interesting things to see.
Nizhny Novgorod traffic jam. (Photo: Bernd Brückler)
TPP: What was the hardest thing to adjust to in the KHL? In living in Russia?
BB: Playing in the KHL was different than any other league. The Russian players are very skilled and they don’t waste their chances offensively. In fact, often times they pass up great scoring opportunities to make one more pass and they love being creative in their plays. As far as life, there are so many things to get accustomed to. The food, the language barrier, the travel, the living arrangements, the way the team handles paychecks, etc…
TPP: After the plane crash that killed the Lokomotiv team, did you ever worry when you were on a YAK-42?
BB: Not really. Maybe immediately after the crash I was a little uneasy about flying but in general I didn’t really worry so much about the Yak-42.
TPP: How does getting let go the way the KHL does it affect your confidence in your playing abilities?
BB: It was a shock to get fired but I didn’t let it affect my confidence. The bigger problem was the NHL lockout and the lack of jobs available. That was my worry after getting fired.
TPP: Though he played in the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship, it sounds like some of the experiences of Mike Danton with Biebarys Atyrau were similar to some of the KHL methods (referring to your mentioning of the “adjustment” to the +/- points and also the firing of John Grahame for drinking). It seems this is pretty much how things are done regardless of a contract. How can you protect yourself?
BB: It’s tough to protect yourself. Of course it helps to have a player’s association in the KHL. It also helps to have a well-respected agent but ultimately it’s very hard to protect yourself.
TPP: Though there are no KGB agents, it seems like while you were in the KHL the teams still had “spies” and relied heavily on intimidation much like when the Soviets were in charge. Was this somewhat of a carryover from those who had gone through the old systems? Did you see that diminishing as the older coaches and other management was replaced?
BB: Of course the old system is still in place but new coaches from the West or younger Russian coaches are increasingly adapting new training methods and are more open to Western ideas. It just shows that the KHL as a whole is getting better as well as the individual teams.
KHL on the Rise
During the recent games in Sochi, Russia, the XXII Olympic Winter Games, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, was clearly looking forward to pitting his KHL players against the NHL players on a world stage. In 2012 he said “To a certain extent our Kontinental Hockey Leaugue is a weak competitor to the NHL, but it’s gradually gaining momentum, and I’m confident that in time it can become real, good, healthy competition for the NHL.”
Unfortunately for Putin, and for the host country, the Russian team would not make it to the medal round. However, that does not mean that its players are not clearly becoming on par with the National Hockey League’s players. And it is evident that some of the Russians who have come to North America to play never felt that they acclimated to the culture of either Canada or the United States depending on the team for which they played. One of the most recent examples of this would be the retirement of Ilya Kovalchuk from the NHL only to see him return to Russia and join the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg, one of the elite teams in the KHL, and one that Brückler played against.
For anyone who is interested in the sport of hockey, the improvement of these various other leagues, especially the KHL, can only bring good things to the sport. And for those interested in life in the KHL, Brückler’s book is a great start.
The St. Louis Blues scoring drought ended Sunday as they defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 4 to 2. Ryan Miller and Steve Ott made their debut with the team after being traded from Buffalo on Friday, and Ryan Miller earned his first win in the Blue note, stopping 23 of 25 shots.
The Blues were down early when Paul Bissonnette scored just 2:56 into the period. The puck took a weird bounce off a skate and was redirected past Miller. The Blues started the third period desperate as they were trailing the Coyotes 2 to 0. Patrik Berglund would not let the Blues be shut out again when he scored 3:18 into the period.
As soon as the Blues scored their first goal they were re-energized. Magnus Paajarvi tied the game up for the Blues 7:39 into the period. The Blues scored their go ahead goal on a power play goal by Kevin Shattenkirk, assisted by Jaden Schwartz. Patrik Berglund netted his second goal of the night ensuring the Blues by giving them a two goal lead at 18:21 into the third period.
The Blues finally fired up some red lights and picked up their first win after the Olympic break. They now head back to St.Louis tied with Chicago for first place in the Central Division. The Blues are back at home Monday, March 4th, as they meet the Lighting at 7PM (CST).
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