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09 NHL All-Star Voting and Results

2008-11-12T18:03:10-06:00

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Patrick Roy, by the numbers

2008-11-21T19:36:18-06:00

Roy, by the numbers

by Manny Almela is a writer for canadiens.com

MONTREAL- Words rarely do Patrick Roy’s amazing career justice. Here are a few numbers that could do the trick.

0- Other goalie tandems in NHL history to have won three straight Jennings Trophies besides Roy and Brian Hayward, who did so with the Habs from 1986-87 through 1988-89.

2- Times Roy raised the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens.

3- League-record number of times Roy earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, including twice with the Canadiens in 1986 and 1993.

4- Times “Saint Patrick” led the NHL in save percentage while with the Habs.

5- Consecutive seasons Roy earned a year-end NHL All-Star Team nod as a Hab from 1987-88 through 1991-92.

20- Number of birthday cakes he cut before becoming the youngest player to ever earn the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP in the spring of 1986.

23- Playoff overtime wins notched by Roy for the Canadiens on his way to a 23-6 mark, including his amazing 10-1 record during the Habs’ Stanley Cup run in 1993.

29- Length in games of Roy’s home undefeated streak in 1988-89, the longest such stretch in franchise history.

114- Playoff games played by Roy with Montreal, the most of any goalie in Canadiens history.

289- Regular-season wins piled up by Roy with the Habs, including his first victory on February 23, 1985 against the Winnipeg Jets, notched when he was only 19 years old.

551- Regular-season games played by Roy with the Canadiens over his 12-year career with the Habs, second behind only Jacques Plante in club history.

Source: This story from the Canadiens Official Website

Leafs to honor a great, Wendel Clark

2008-11-21T19:25:26-06:00

Talking To Wendel At The Gardens

It’s a typically earnest truth, delivered by an unflinching, honest man.

Built in 1931, Maple Leaf Gardens is 77 years old and still looks beautiful.

Wendel Clark, at 42, doesn’t look too bad either.

We brought both together for a memorable interview in advance of ceremonies to honour Clark’s number 17, Saturday at Air Canada Centre.

Wendel Clark burst into the league here as a savagely competitive bodychecker, fighter and finisher. This was a place where Harold Ballard had his name and handprints set into concrete at centre ice.

The Gardens has been idle since 1999 when the Maple Leafs moved to the Air Canada Center. The boards are gone. The compressors have been disabled. The Leafs dressing room has been stripped down and locked.

But thanks to the abundant kindness of Loblaws, the Gardens’ present owner, Wendel was able to reminisce on his home turf.

The result is spectacular. The building looks fantastic. The floors are as clean as when the place was occupied.

When you visit with Wendel Clark you see how it all turned out. He comments on the scowling 18-year-old, famously filmed walking down Yonge Street, his draft, his departures and everything in between with the wisdom, humour and perspective of a man well into midlife.

Clark wore number 17 because it was the number they hung in his locker. He would have wore an exclamation mark on his back if they had asked.

Everything was bigger than life: Ballard, who used to raid the kitchen of the Hot Stove Club late at night for chocolate ice cream, John Brophy, who would sprinkle hilarious critiques into his obscenity laced diatribes and dare the players to laugh, even the pain in his back and side that knocked Clark out of the lineup for more than a year.

The first thing an NHL player needs to learn about retirement, Clark said, is that nothing will replace playing.

It’s a typically earnest truth, delivered by an unflinching, honest man.

When you put Wendel Clark back at Maple Leaf Gardens, even the ghosts stop to look and listen.

You will too.

Source: Maple Leafs Official Website

Blackhawks stun Coyotes in SO 3-2

2008-11-19T10:31:53-06:00

Blackhawks get much needed shootout win

The victory was the Blackhawks’ first in five shootouts this season.

* 00:15 (Third Period) CHICAGO Jonathan Toews : Fighting (maj) - 5 min *

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -The Chicago Blackhawks’ annual circus trip got off to a wild start.

Nikolai Khabibulin made 36 saves through overtime, then stopped two shots in the shootout as the Blackhawks edged the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 Tuesday night.

“It was nice to start the road trip with a win,” Khabibulin said. “Any time you can start a long road trip with a win, that’s a good thing.”

The victory was the Blackhawks’ first in five shootouts this season.

“One of these days it was going to happen, so why not tonight,” Khabibulin said.

Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews scored in the shootout, and Sharp also had a goal in regulation for the Blackhawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Kris Versteeg also scored for Chicago, which started a six-game road trip caused by the circus’ arrival in the Windy City.

“It’s good for us to get out on the road,” Sharp said. “We like playing at the United Center, but it’s good to be around each other quite a bit and build some chemistry.”

Zbynek Michalek netted his first of the season and Shane Doan added the tying goal for the Coyotes, who lost their third straight.

Phoenix went to overtime for the first time this season.

Toews opened the shootout with a wrist shot that went in off Ilya Bryzgalov’s stick and right skate. Sharp followed with a quick wrist shot that beat Bryzgalov low to the stick side.

“I came down and got close to the net and thought I might be able to sneak one by him,” Sharp said. “I went as low and as hard as I could and it went in.”

Khabibulin stopped Kyle Turris and Peter Mueller with a pair of easy saves for the victory.

Versteeg gave Chicago a 1-0 lead with 1:58 left in the first period on a goal that had Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky screaming. Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski twisted awkwardly in the corner of his zone and was on his knees as teammates tried clearing the puck.

Source: read more here

Habs fall to Canes 2-1

2008-11-19T10:19:48-06:00

Hurricanes hold off Canadiens 2-1

Price: “Whenever they get the puck in a good shooting position, they’re going to be letting it go.”

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -The punchless Carolina Hurricanes kept peppering Carey Price, and got a couple of pucks past the Montreal goalie just in time.

Sergei Samsonov and Ray Whitney scored 3 1/2 minutes apart in the third period, and Carolina put a season-high 48 shots on net in its come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Canadiens on Tuesday night.

“We came out with the attitude that we were going to shoot some pucks and crash the net a little bit more,” Samsonov said. “We really made an effort to try to put the puck on net from any position, and I think that kind of created the forecheck.”

Whitney followed Samsonov’s first goal of the season with the go-ahead score with 13:27 remaining to jump-start a Carolina offense that averaged fewer than two goals in its previous six games.

“We’re doing what we’re doing now with not a lot of goal-scoring,” Whitney said.

Robert Lang scored for the Canadiens, who snapped a lengthy power-play drought yet lost for the third time in four games.

“The whole game was about who was going to take a gamble,” Montreal forward Alex Kovalev said. “I think every time we saw (the) opportunity to be on the safe side, we took a gamble, and it cost us. We really (need to) focus on and concentrate on the little details, which is not to worry about points or if you’re going to score a goal. For now, we need to win a couple of games 1-0 or 2-1.

“There are not going to be a lot of goals like there were at the beginning of the season. That’s where it starts.”

Price made a career-high 46 saves and stopped the first 30 shots he faced. Carolina’s 48 shots also were the most allowed by the Canadiens.

“That’s a team that shoots everything,” Price said. “Whenever they get the puck in a good shooting position, they’re going to be letting it go.”

Cam Ward made 28 saves for the Hurricanes, who have won two straight after dropping three in a row.

Source: continue reading this story

Wings shut-out Oilers 4-0

2008-11-18T17:37:56-06:00

Conklin gets 1st shut-out as a Wing

Conklin: “It’s nice to get that first one here to get rid of the butterflies early,”

DETROIT (AP) -The last few days have been pretty good for Ty Conklin.

The Detroit Red Wings backup goaltender has started and won two consecutive games, sandwiched around the birth of his third child.

Conklin made 20 saves for his fifth career shutout Monday night, Jiri Hudler and Niklas Kronwall each had a goal and an assist and Detroit beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-0.

“Got a win Friday (3-2 in Florida). Got to see my wife and the baby (son Nash) and now the shutout. Been a good three days,” Conklin said.

The Red Wings signed him as a free agent in July. He had been with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who Detroit beat in last June’s Stanley Cup Finals and is 5-1-0 with his new team.

It was his first shutout as a Red Wing.

“It’s nice to get that first one here to get rid of the butterflies early,” Conklin said.

Mikael Samuelsson and Johan Franzen also scored for Detroit, which has won five of its last six. Henrik Zetterberg added two assists for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

“I thought we played well tonight,” said Red Wings’ coach Mike Babcock. “We didn’t give up much. We looked good on special teams.

Dwayne Roloson stopped 37 shots for Edmonton.

Kronwall had a power-play goal in the first and Detroit added two more in the second.

The Red Wings dominated play in the first, outshooting the Oilers 16-9.

“It’s sad that when we’re down just 1-0 after the first period,” said Shawn Horcoff. “… We should be able to build off of that.”

Source: continue reading this story

Red Hot Bruins edge Leafs 3-2

2008-11-18T17:23:14-06:00

Bruins top slumping Leafs 3-2

Thomas: “You’re going to have to get (wins) all kinds of different ways,”

TORONTO (AP) -The Boston Bruins have been waiting for this kind of goal from Michael Ryder.

The Maple Leafs were pressing for a tying score during the second period Monday night and it seemed only a matter of time before they would get it.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Ryder raced into the Toronto end, dragged the puck around a defender and scored with a high wrist shot. Boston hung on for a 3-2 victory.

It was the sort of skill Ryder was known for during his best seasons in Montreal. But it was only the third time he’s scored since joining Boston last offseason, so his new teammates were especially pleased to see the puck go in.

“We all know that he can score goals,” Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. “He needs to just find that zone where he’s going to really be playing with a lot of confidence. It’s good that he scored tonight.

“Anytime that you see a guy that’s supposed to score goals score one, it’s good for the team.”

Phil Kessel and Matt Hunwick also scored for Boston. Marc Savard and Milan Lucic each added two assists for the Northeast Division leaders, who handed Toronto a loss in its return from a weeklong road trip.

Jason Blake and Mikhail Grabovski scored for the Maple Leafs, who have only two wins in their last eight games.

Ryder seems to have adjusted comfortably to life in Boston since signing a $12 million, three-year contract on July 1. Yet after four seasons with the Canadiens, he admits he’s still getting used to a new system and different teammates.

Ultimately, he expects things to work out.

“I think it’s a good fit,” Ryder said.

At least one thing should be familiar - his team is hovering near the top of the Eastern Conference.

The Bruins are off to an 11-3-4 start and they’ve lost only one game all season by more than a goal. They weren’t overly impressive Monday night, but coach Claude Julien will gladly take the two points.

“We’ve been playing a lot of hockey and I sense a little mental fatigue on our part,” he said. “We’re in a stretch of 10 (games) in 18 (nights) so we’re going to be in for a tough ride.”

The Leafs returned home from a swing through Western Canada about 24 hours before the game and it showed during a sluggish start.

Source: continue reading this story

Rangers top Sens in SO 2-1

2008-11-18T17:06:39-06:00

Rangers hold off Senators

Lundqvist: “I like the challenge of facing the best players on the other team,”

NEW YORK (AP) -The New York Rangers are always confident heading into a shootout, knowing Henrik Lundqvist gives them an excellent chance to win.

Nikolai Zherdev scored the only goal in a shootout and Lundqvist denied all three Ottawa Senators shooters in New York’s 2-1 victory Monday night.

The Rangers opted to shoot first and Zherdev beat Alex Auld between the pads. That left it up to Lundqvist to stop Jason Spezza, Jarko Ruutu and Antoine Vermette for his NHL-leading 12th win.

“I like the challenge of facing the best players on the other team,” Lundqvist said. “I get nervous because you play such a big part and you want to win so badly. You need to have a lot of patience and confidence. Right now, I have both.”

And it shows. Lundqvist has allowed only one goal on 12 shootout shots for a 3-1 record.

“You never take anything for granted, but it sure is good to know he is spot-on good when it comes to that part of the game,” Rangers coach Tom Renney said.

Fredrik Sjostrom scored for the Rangers in regulation as the Eastern Conference leaders stretched their winning streak to three.

“We were fired up and we were going to have this win, no matter what,” Sjostrom said. “Everybody excelled and played really hard tonight.”

Daniel Alfredsson had the lone goal for the Senators, who lost their fifth straight. They’ve scored only five goals during that span.

“We had a chance to win 1-0, until they got a good rebound goal,” Alfredsson said. “We’re creating chances and we can’t look at the negatives now. There are positives. The efforts we’ve had the last two games have been good enough to win.”

Source: continue reading

Penalties kill Blackhawks efforts

2008-11-17T09:58:48-06:00

Hawks pay the price

Sharks score 2 power-play goals in third to end homestand on downer

‘We can’t take the penalties we did in a game like that,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ”They were effective — and we weren’t very good.”

The Hawks lost to the Sharks for the 12th straight time (0-10-2) and saw their point streak on home ice end at 10 with their first loss in regulation.

Kris Versteeg scored two goals for the Hawks, one of them a shorty, and the Hawks rallied from a 4-2 deficit to take a 5-4 lead on Patrick Kane’s power-play goal with 2:08 left in the second period. In the third, though, a hooking penalty on Dave Bolland set up Dan Boyle’s tying goal — his second of the game — with one minute gone, and Devin Setoguchi scored the game-winner with 4:15 left in the period with Dustin Byfuglien in the box for tripping.

That left the Hawks with an 0-1-2 finish to their five-game homestand, hardly what they wanted with the next six games on the road.

”We gave them too much respect,” Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. ”We knew they were good, and we gave them too much space. We let them roam and do what they wanted.”

Allowing the Sharks their four power-play goals in just six opportunities with the man advantage wasn’t characteristic of this season’s Hawks. They came into the game ranked third in the NHL in penalty-killing, having allowed just nine goals in the 71 times they were short-handed in the first 15 games.

Source: LEN ZIEHM has this full story at the Chicago Sun Times

Habs down Blues in SO 3-2

2008-11-17T09:45:10-06:00

Habs third period play get them to the shootout

Carbonneau: “I thought tonight was one of our best games”

ST. LOUIS (AP) -With the game on the line, the Montreal Canadiens relied on Alexei Kovalev to put the finishing touches on a victory.

He did just that, too, scoring the lone goal in a shootout to give the Canadiens a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night.

Kovalev beat Manny Legace with a high backhander on Montreal’s third shootout attempt after the Blues missed on all three of their shots in the tiebreaker.

“It was a pretty sweet deke,” Montreal winger Christopher Higgins said. “I don’t think anyone expects less from him right now because he’s such a skilled player. “

Kovalev followed Koivu and Andrei Kostitsyn in the shootout. Kostitsyn, who scored a goal and assisted on another in regulation, hit the crossbar with his attempt.

Kovalev went to the forehand, then pulled the puck back to his backhand and lifted the shot high over Legace.

“I knew he was going there, too,” Legace said. “I was just slow to react to it. He’s a good player and can put it where he put it, probably 2 feet over my pad. Not too many guys can pull it that quick and bang, in the back of the net.”

The Blues used Brad Boyes, David Perron and Keith Tkachuk in the shootout, but Carey Price made saves on Perron and Tkachuk.

Robert Lang also scored in regulation for the Canadiens, who won for only the second time in six games after starting the season 8-1-1. Carey Price stopped 24 shots.

The Canadiens were 0-for-10 on the power play and have scored twice in their last 36 chances. St. Louis was 1-for-9 with the man advantage.

Steve Regier scored twice for the Blues, and Legace also stopped 24 shots.

“We’re talking about a team that most experts picked to win the Eastern Conference this year,” Blues coach Andy Murray said, “and we lose in the shootout to them.

Source:

Voting Fraud Suspected

2008-11-16T10:05:08-06:00

NHL STATEMENT REGARDING ALL-STAR 2009 BALLOTING

New York (November 14, 2008) — The National Hockey League today released this statement regarding fan balloting for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game:

We appreciate the excitement and energy the fans are showing for the All-Star Game and the All-Star voting process. While we encourage all fans to cast votes — even multiple votes — for their favorite All-Star candidates, the League has identified some instances of automated voting activity that expressly is prohibited by the voting rules and regulations. This situation is being addressed and we are in the process of validating all votes to make sure that they comply with the rules.

Source: NHL Media Release

Rangers edge hot Bruins in SO

2008-11-16T09:52:49-06:00

Rangers slow surging Bruins in shootout 3-2

Chara said. “A two-goal lead is probably the worst lead in hockey”

The Rangers held on to first place in the East with a 13-5-2 record. The Bruins are 4 points back, at 10-3-4.

“Boston is probably the hottest team in the league coming in here tonight,” Rangers Coach Tom Renney said. “Neither team was going to give each other anything.”

If the Bruins are the hottest team, the Rangers might be the most resilient. For the third time this season, they came back to tie a game in the third period after falling behind by 2-0. They did it Oct. 25 against Pittsburgh when Nikolai Zherdev tied the score with 8.1 seconds left before the Rangers won in a shootout. They did it against Edmonton on Monday, when Drury scored early in the third. The Rangers lost that game in a shootout. They also erased a 2-0 lead against Detroit earlier this season before losing, 5-4, in overtime.

As in all of those games, this one looked hopeless for the Rangers. They trailed, 2-0, after a dreadful second period. Not only had the Bruins scored short-handed, on a great shot by defenseman Dennis Wideman, but with their defensive style, two-goal leads are usually insurmountable.

The Rangers were frittering away power plays, including two five-on-three opportunities, and did not score until 6 minutes 5 seconds remained in regulation, on a goal by Nigel Dawes. They kept the pressure on, but the Rangers’ situation still looked dire when center Brandon Dubinsky carried the puck into the offensive zone and passed to Naslund, who beat Boston goalie Tim Thomas with 52 seconds left.

Source: the rest of this story at the New York Times

Skate 2 Stick

09 NHL All-Star Voting and Results

You can vote from here and vote often

Cast your vote now, get the updated lists as soon as they are available

Patrick Roy, by the numbers

Roy, by the numbers

by Manny Almela is a writer for canadiens.com

Leafs to honor a great, Wendel Clark

Talking To Wendel At The Gardens

It’s a typically earnest truth, delivered by an unflinching, honest man.

Blackhawks stun Coyotes in SO 3-2

Blackhawks get much needed shootout win

The victory was the Blackhawks’ first in five shootouts this season.

*** 00:15 (Third Period) CHICAGO Jonathan Toews : Fighting (maj) - 5 min ***

Habs fall to Canes 2-1

Hurricanes hold off Canadiens 2-1

Price: “Whenever they get the puck in a good shooting position, they’re going to be letting it go.”

Wings shut-out Oilers 4-0

Conklin gets 1st shut-out as a Wing

Conklin: “It’s nice to get that first one here to get rid of the butterflies early,”

Red Hot Bruins edge Leafs 3-2

Bruins top slumping Leafs 3-2

Thomas: “You’re going to have to get (wins) all kinds of different ways,”

Rangers top Sens in SO 2-1

Rangers hold off Senators

Lundqvist: “I like the challenge of facing the best players on the other team,”

Penalties kill Blackhawks efforts

Hawks pay the price

Sharks score 2 power-play goals in third to end homestand on downer

Habs down Blues in SO 3-2

Habs third period play get them to the shootout

Carbonneau: “I thought tonight was one of our best games”

Voting Fraud Suspected

NHL STATEMENT REGARDING ALL-STAR 2009 BALLOTING

New York (November 14, 2008) — The National Hockey League today released this statement regarding fan balloting for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game:

Rangers edge hot Bruins in SO

Rangers slow surging Bruins in shootout 3-2

Chara said. “A two-goal lead is probably the worst lead in hockey”

* 00:15 (Third Period) CHICAGO Jonathan Toews : Fighting (maj) - 5 min *