NHL Columns: Pro Sports Daily

February 12

Toronto Sun

columnist Steve Simmons

"The most endearing quality of Mats Sundin — his wide-eyed optimism — made him extraordinary popular with those he played with, and at times confounding to those who expected more of him. It wasn't only that Sundin was acquired in a deal for the hugely popular Wendel Clark that made his 13 seasons in Toronto less endearing than they should have been, it's that often he was the opposite of what this city had come to admire. Toronto wanted spectacular: Sundin was a straight line. Toronto wanted explosive and emotional, the way Clark and Doug Gilmour could be: Sundin was large and calm and consistently great. Toronto wanted someone to change the franchise. Sundin, at least outwardly, always"

Not much activity in the trade market -- for now

February 12

Buffalo News

"Leafs General Manager Brian Burke calls himself a January guy, one who works weeks in advance and steers clear of the foolishness that often comes with the NHL trade deadline. We're nearing mid-February, with two weeks from the annual swap meet, and all has been quiet in Toronto. The most persistent rumor had Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn going to Philadelphia in a package deal for James van Riemsdyk. The Flyers, without concussed veteran Chris Pronger, are combing the NHL for defensemen and have had Schenn on their short list. JVR is the kind of big, sturdy forward often coveted by Burke. Makes sense, right? It's also very unlikely. The trick is working within the confines of the salary"

Kipper earns silver stick, but he's worth his weight in gold

February 12

Calgary Herald

columnist George Johnson

"In honour of his becoming the 27th goaltender in history to notch 300 career wins the other night in San Jose, Miikka Kiprusoff, looking customarily uncomfortable in such grip-'n-grin circumstances, was presented with the customary commemorative stick in an on-ice pre-game ceremony It was made of silver. A metal that simply does not do the man justice. This guy just keeps proving he's worth his weight in gold. If the last couple of weeks are any indication, the Calgary Flames won't be slinking away from this claustrophobic rugby scrum for the final post-season berth or two anytime soon. They seem determined to take this chase to the wire; hunt the playoffs down like David Janssen chasing"

Tears and cheers greet Mats Sundin on his banner night

February 12

Toronto Star

columnist Rosie DiManno

"Before he stepped on the ice, Mats Sundin was handed one of his old hockey sticks by long-time Leaf equipment manager Brian Papineau. Said Mats: "I don't need that today." Couldn't have hurt the 2012 Maple Leafs, though, as they turned in one of their worst performances this season on the very night that a former captain, No. 13, had his number raised to the rafters, the 18th gonfalon draped from the metal struts beneath the ceiling at the Air Canada Centre. Took precisely one minute and 37 seconds for that silken portraiture to be hoisted aloft, taking its place (fittingly) next to compatriot Borje Salming, who led the Swedish charge to Toronto two generations ago. Sundin had talked to"

Shootout still doesn't taste right

February 12

Boston Globe

columnist Kevin Paul Dupont

"I love the shootout. The game on the line. One team's best shooters against the other team's best shooters. The goalies quaking in their bulky skates. Fans going crazy. The clock frozen. A full day's blood, sweat, and tears boiled down to the itsiest-bitsiest moment in time and the game right there to be won. Now that's hockey, pure and palpable - hockey served up like caviar and poured out like champagne. Rubbish. Regular readers of this space know I don't believe a single word of that. I typed the whole pack of lies with my fingers crossed. (And if you think that's easy, sit down right now and try typing "blood, sweat, and tears'' with your fingers crossed.) The lying is easy, but the"

Mats Sundin's legacy? Maple Leafs have yet to replace him

February 12

Toronto Star

columnist Damien Cox

"Unfortunate, at least in terms of athletic poetry, that it all ended as an NHL player for Mats Sundin here on the left coast. So few Maple Leafs, even the very best, have taken their final shift with the club that Conn Smythe founded. It would have been a happy change of pace, for the franchise, for its fans, to have seen Sundin's career end in blue and white. But that's so rare now in sports, let alone hockey. Perhaps given that Sundin started somewhere else — Quebec City — there's symmetry in the fact he ended it elsewhere as well. But this much seems clear, almost four years after Sundin played his last game in Toronto. Folks in the GTA must now clearly understand what they had. And how"

A feel-good story masks lingering flaws

February 11

Buffalo News

columnist Bucky Gleason

"So this is how things are going to unfold for the foreseeable future, huh? The Sabres are going to tease you the way they have many times in the past. They're going to make a triumphant run up the standings, restore hope and have you convinced the first 50 games were a mirage, as Darcy Regier suggested. Bet the house, the kids and all the beer in the fridge that the Sabres will keep things interesting for a while, but where is it all going? Perhaps they will put together another dramatic run into the postseason like they did last year. Or maybe they'll march into eighth place, empty their collective tank and slip back into 11th. Who knows? The Sabres had people thinking that they can stay"

Mats Sundin returns for Maple Leafs tribute with no regrets

February 11

Toronto Star

columnist Rosie DiManno

"For someone so exquisitely deft with his hands, Mats Sundin is suddenly all thumbs. He jabs clumsily at the keypad of his smarty-pants phone. It's been buzzing incessantly. Swedish TV is demanding an on-camera interview. Officials from the University of Toronto need to confirm details for a press conference. Former teammates from out of town want to coordinate arrival times. Friends are checking in. There's a speech to write, nearly two dozen relatives and intimates to corral — the Sundin Travelling Posse from Sweden — and a wife, Josephine, who can't be ignored. It's chaotic, this being honoured stuff. And Sundin is, essentially, a simple man. Complications have never rested comfortably"

Owner laying foundation to broaden Stars' appeal

February 11

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

columnist Mac Engel

"There is no joy in the following as much as there is relief -- the Dallas Stars are finally acknowledging they need Fort Worth. For the longest time, this organization desperately just wanted to be Dallas -- and just Dallas -- and it got away with it. You knew there had been a seismic shift when the Stars hired Jim Lites back to be their team president in December, and he said to me, "We have to get back into Fort Worth." Back? Try start. For far too long, this organization catered to the desires of the fans who lived in Dallas, mostly North Dallas, because that's all it needed to do. Perhaps with good reason. Maybe the Tarrant County folks weren't going, or watching. With the team staring"

Wild caught in a cycle of so many words, so few deeds

February 11

Minneapolis Star Tribune

columnist Chip Scoggins

"The Wild logo is stitched in the carpet in the center of the locker room. Wild players, particularly a few veterans, take delight in berating anyone who has the audacity to dip a toe over the line, on accident or even if the guilty party is unaware of the unwritten rule. Here's an idea: Maybe players should show the same amount of professional pride in the logo they wear on their jerseys on the ice. That seems like a reasonable request given the team's two-month nosedive that reached a new low Thursday when coach Mike Yeo correctly acknowledged that his team "stinks" following an uninspired loss to Vancouver. Having slept on it -- if he actually closed his eyes -- Yeo didn't express any"

Scoring is down, and obstruction seems to be up again in NHL

February 10

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

columnist Josh Yohe

"Welcome to the new NHL, which is beginning to resemble the old NHL. Scoring is down, and obstruction again is becoming a common element of play. Referees, many Penguins said, are allowing the clutching and grabbing that became ingrained in the game a decade ago to resurface. The Penguins are particularly unsettled by this because special teams have marked a significant part of their success this season. Lately, special teams play has been rare. "I don't necessarily think the play has gotten cleaner," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "(But) there are few power-play opportunities out there for every team.""

Long trip no excuse for Hawks' skid

February 10

Chicago Tribune

columnist David Haugh

"How easy it would be to blame "Disney on Ice" for the Blackhawks resembling a Mickey Mouse operation at the start of their longest road trip since 1994. To attribute the cold, Stanley Cup reality the Hawks have confronted recently to the "Dare to Dream'' ice show (tickets still available!) forcing 26 days between games at the United Center. To wonder how an organization with the NHL's best business savvy, according to The Hockey News, approved a schedule that locks the Hawks out of a building the team co-owns at a time they need the warmth of home ice."

Firing the coach to ignite the team

February 10

Los Angeles Times

columnist Helen Elliott

"The reason can be as vague as a sense that a team isn't motivated, or as obvious as a superstar's rebellion. The decision to change a coach or manager during the season might be made early — the Detroit Tigers were 0-6 when they fired Phil Garner and replaced him with Luis Pujols in 2002 — or late, as when the New York Rangers dismissed Michel Bergeron with two games left in the 1988-89 season. The switch made no difference in either case: The Tigers were 55-100 the rest of the way and the Rangers lost those two games and were swept out of the playoffs, leading to the dismissal of General Manager Phil Esposito."

When the NHL takes it outside, everyone wins

February 10

Detroit News

columnist Bob Wojnowski

"It takes imagination to think big. It takes creativity and compromise to make it work. Based on sheer numbers of people and tickets and spilled cups of Canadian beer, this will be huge. And entertaining. And much needed. While Michigan is off playing in a bowl game on Jan. 1 (theoretically), the Big House will be hosting the Maple Leafs and Red Wings in the NHL's biggest Winter Classic. The way it unfolded is a prime example of the art of compromise, and the benefit of thinking bigger. The NHL wanted to smash attendance records in Michigan Stadium. Mike Ilitch and his family naturally wanted to reward Red Wings fans and Detroiters by playing at Comerica Park."

Tough questions abound about Canucks' goaltending

February 10

Vancouver Province

columnist Ed Willies

"The decision over the future of the Vancouver Canucks' goaltending position might be the most important of general manager Mike Gillis's administration but, in analyzing things as they stand, there is one number that stands out for Roberto Luongo. It is not the 10 years he has left on his contract. It's not the $5.333 million US annual cap hit he represents. It's not even the number of Stanley Cups he's won. No, those are all relevant in the great Vancouver goaltending debate but the most important number connected to Luongo is this: 21,743. And that isn't the number of times Canucks' fans have called the open-mouth shows saying: "We can't win with this guy.''"

Former foes Wings and Leafs look forward to reliving storied rivalry

February 10

Detroit News

columnist John Niyo

"Welcome to Hockeytown, eh? Those are fighting words. Or at least they used to be, as Ted Lindsay and Red Kelly and other former NHL greats were more than happy to remind us all Thursday. And that, to me, was the best part of the league unveiling its plans for next year's Winter Classic, with the marquee game between the Maple Leafs and Red Wings scheduled for Michigan Stadium and a whole host of events on tap at Comerica Park. With so much rich history shared between these hockey franchises — and so much passion for the game in these cities — it didn't take long to rekindle the old rivalry."

Winter Classic game excites Toronto Maple Leafs

February 10

Toronto Star

columnist Dave Feschuk

"Shortly after it was announced the Maple Leafs and Red Wings will face off in the 2013 NHL Winter Classic at the University of Michigan's gargantuan football stadium, Dion Phaneuf cast his mind back to a slightly smaller fresh-air rink. "Being fron Edmonton, having an outdoor rink in my backyard, playing with my buddies on that . . . You grow up playing outside," the Maple Leafs captain said. "Now we get to do it in front of 100,000-plus people. It doesn't get any better than that . . . It's an honour to be a part of a game like this." As the Maple Leafs prepared to play the Flyers in a Thursday-night matchup at Wells Fargo Center, there was plenty of talk on the game they'll be playing,"

Could Brenden Morrow's time with Dallas Stars be over?

February 10

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

columnist Mac Engel

"The Stars have a little fewer than 30 games remaining in their season to make the playoffs and regain some relevancy in this market. They are dangerously close to missing the postseason for a fourth consecutive year. After winning at Columbus 4-2 on Thursday night, the Stars are in a three-way tie for ninth place with Minnesota and Calgary in the Western Conference with 58 points -- two points out of a playoff spot. By now the Stars' 11-3-0 start has been replaced by an ugly reality that this team is just OK, and no real threat despite the presence of forwards Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson and goalie Kari Lehtonen."

Rangers best bet to follow Giants up the Canyon of Heroes

February 9

New York Post

columnist Larry Brooks

"They come to work at the rink every day, strapping on their hard hats, putting on their Black-and-Blue shirts, committed to improving, not even needing to proclaim that they're All In, because that's evident to anyone who watches the way they play. A year after Tim Mara bought the Football Giants in 1925, Tex Rickard bought the Rangers. The Giants, the Rangers and Yankees, here since (or before) Jimmy Walker was Mayor, they are our historical franchises. And now, the Rangers could make history again. Now the Blueshirts could follow Big Blue one more time."

Tomas Holmstrom's pain is Red Wings' gain

February 9

Detroit News

columnist John Niyo

"It's not just Tomas Holmstrom who is on the verge of playing in his 1,000th career game Friday. It's a milestone for the hidden relics of his 15-year NHL career, too. When the Swedish "Demolition Man" came to Detroit in 1996, he brought with him two well-worn pieces of hard plastic — hacked-off inserts from an old pair of shoulder pads. He has them rigged to the back of his hockey pants, attached by a pair of shoelaces, so that the plastic covers the exposed back of his calf muscles — a prime target for opposing goaltenders as Holmstrom parks directly in front of the net and proceeds to make himself a nuisance."

Jets target Capitals in crucial matchup

February 9

Winnipeg Free Press

columnist Tim Campbell

"You might as well get used to it -- next up for the Winnipeg Jets is their biggest game of the year. Having won their most recent biggest game of the year on Tuesday night, a 2-1 home win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Jets headed to Washington Wednesday and meet the Capitals, another team ahead of them in the NHL's Eastern Conference standings, tonight at 6 o'clock at Verizon Center. The Capitals are not only ahead of Winnipeg but they're a special target. That's because the Jets are actually closer to the third seed in the Eastern Conference than the eighth seed. The Caps lead the Southeast Division at 60 points after Tuesday's blanking of Florida. That's only four ahead of Winnipeg."

Sabres find the missing ingredients

February 9

Buffalo News

columnist Bucky Gleason

"Well, look at what suddenly showed up at First Niagara Center for the first time all season. Whether it was Lindy Ruff watching from the press box or James Patrick running the bench mattered little. For one game Wednesday, the Sabres uncovered all that had been missing this season. OK, so the Sabres are 54 games into the regular season and need a tow rope to pull them to altitudes reserved for playoff contenders. They're one bad spill from tumbling back down the mountain and rolling off a cliff. For one game, they hiked up their pants, put up their dukes, accepted a challenge and won. And that, my friends, is progress."

Evgeni Malkin's spin-o-rama goal stirs debate

February 9

Montreal Gazette

columnist Pat Hickey

"Evgeni Malkin's spin-o-rama goal in the shootout against the Canadiens Tuesday has resurrected the debate over whether such moves are illegal. The general consensus is that they aren't entirely kosher, but the NHL has tolerated them and there's no going back once the precedent has been set. The anti spin-o-rama camp, which includes most goaltenders in the league, bases its opposition on a rule that doesn't exist."

Kane needs to avoid smoke, start creating fire on ice

February 8

Winnipeg Free Press

columnist Gary Lawless

"Evander Kane has made a lot of noise since arriving in Winnipeg. Some good and some bad. It's time for him to roar again now that he's back in action but there's no more room for the chatter that seems to follow his every off-ice move. No more low-end cash-for-tweet deals, no more unpaid bills gossip and no more bar fight rumours. Headlines? We got 'em. But Kane needs to force us to save them for on-ice exploits. Hat-tricks and game-winning goals, not TMZ trash. Kane controls it all. He is in charge of his play and what this community says about his behaviour away from the rink. Maybe we fan the flames but if there's no spark there's no fire. Most of what's been said about Kane has been"

Spezza key for Sens

February 8

Ottawa Sun

columnist Don Brennan

"It's no coincidence that both Jason Spezza and the Senators entered Tuesday in six-game slumps. As one goes, so goes the other. I know it, you know it, Spezza knows it. "I haven't scored, we haven't won, I know I have to produce for us to win," Spezza said a few hours before facing the Blues Tuesday. "I'm definitely putting pressure on myself to make sure I'm playing well this week.""

Concussions a growing problem in hockey

February 8

Washington Times

columnist Stephen Whyno

"Kirk Muller doesn't know if he suffered a concussion during his playing career. Sure, he got hit in the head, but they weren't diagnosed in the same way. Now the Carolina Hurricanes' coach, Muller's playing days ended before the 2004-05 lockout. Washington Capitals right wing Mike Knuble's career has spanned the time when it was called "getting your bell rung" and nothing more to an era of quiet rooms and protocol where it's recognized as a brain injury. "Back in the olden days you just shook it off, seeing stars and all that," Knuble said."

Lightning rewarded for jobs well done

February 7

Tampa Tribune

columnist Martin Fennelly

"So, this is what real, live winning hockey looks like. We'd almost forgotten. The Tampa Bay Lightning are still in a deep hole when it comes to prolonging their season past the standard 82 games. They've won six of the past seven games to climb back to .500. This is how it has usually worked after home wins: Bolts coach Guy Boucher stares at a flat screen, sees the end of the out-of-town games or all those Eastern Conference scores and sees that little or no ground has been gained. Even after all this good work of late, the Lightning remain miles from contention. "You look at the standings and you'll go nuts," Lightning defenseman Eric Brewer said. "It's not my job. We just need to do our"

San Jose Sharks could be seeking a scorer at trade deadline

February 7

San Jose Mercury News

columnist David Pollak

"Sharks general manager Doug Wilson is notoriously tight-lipped all year, but even more so now with the NHL's Feb. 27 trade deadline less than three weeks away. "Once we get in this month," Wilson said Monday, "I don't make any comment about anything.""

Toronto Maple Leafs' win over Edmonton Oilers raises trade questions

February 7

Toronto Star

columnist Dave Feschuk

"There were about 30 NHL scouts at the Air Canada Centre for Monday night's Leafs-Oilers game. There are less than three weeks remaining until the Feb. 27 trade deadline. The talk of swap, the gossip of possibility, is only beginning to round into its annual crescendo. But there's some slightly less predictable noise threatening to drown out the din of would-be deals. The Maple Leafs banged off their 10th win of 2012 on Monday. And given that their 6-3 win over a previously hot Edmonton club brought Toronto's record to a sparkling 10-4-1 since the turn of the annum, it's a distinct possibility that, contrary to the popular thrust, Brian Burke's best pre-deadline trade will be the one he"

Can Evander Kane raise the offence?

February 7

Winnipeg Free Press

columnist Tim Campbell

"Jets coach Claude Noel, amid the disappointment of his team's just-completed 2-4 road trip that surrounded the NHL All-Star Game, offered a glimmer of hope on Monday when he met with reporters. The coach said the team's leading goal scorer, left-winger Evander Kane, could be ready to return to the lineup as early as tonight when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the MTS Centre. Kane, who has 18 goals, has missed seven games with a concussion. He has not scored, however, since Dec. 29, a period of 10 games without a goal before he was hurt. "He's feeling better," Noel said Monday. "He'll be a game-time decision. He's close. If it's not (tonight's) game, potentially Thursday.""

A plea for civility from Senators, Leafs fans

February 7

Ottawa Citizen

columnist Wayne Scanlan

"Let's suppose a visitor is new to the city, if not new to the planet. His name is Frank and he's in town for the NHL all-star weekend, and then sticks around for several days, long enough to take in the Ottawa Senators-Toronto Maple Leafs game at Scotiabank Place on Saturday. At the all-star fest, Frank is bowled over by the adoration, bordering on deification, of Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. The mere sight of Alfredsson's countenance on the new arena scoreboard, let alone the sight of him scoring two All-Star Game goals, results in standing ovations and cheers that threaten to blow the roof off the building."

Trade deadline gives Canadiens a chance to rebuild

February 6

Montreal Gazette

columnist Red Fisher

"It's all in the math, but let me see if I have this right. The No. 14 Canadiens have 49 points in 53 games. And since a minimum of 93 likely will be needed to make the playoffs, what their 3-0 victory over Winnipeg on Sunday means is that they now need 44 more points in their remaining 29 games to reach that number. I would suggest that's too tall an order in a season that has been nothing less than a rocky ride and, at times, embarrassing. Here's a team that has won only 20 games. It must win at least that many in its next 29 and hope it can pick up four more points losing in overtime or the shootout. Get the picture? Dismal is one word that comes to mind. Bleak is another."

Canadiens should start planning for next season, because this one is over

February 6

Montreal Gazette

columnist Jack Todd

"When the Canadiens were busy tanking the early part of this miserable season, a francophone wit whose name we've forgotten suggested that it wasn't all that bad. "If you turn your newspaper upside down," he said, "they're in first place!" We're going to go out on a limb here and assume that you're reading this upside down. If you are, you already know that the once-glorious Montreal Canadiens are now the Sad Sacks of St. Antoine St. Even after Sunday's rather pointless 3-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, the Canadiens have a record that would make a strong fan weep: they're 20-33 overall, with 10 wins in 28 games at the Bell Centre. They're tied for last in the Eastern Conference with 49"

Time's a wasting on Caps making postseason push

February 6

Washington Times

columnist Dan Daly

"Thirty games remain for the Washington Capitals. The trade deadline is three weeks away. Tick. Tock. Actually, there might be more of a ringing in their ears after the Boston Bruins beat them 4-1 on Super Sunday at Verizon Center. In addition to the defeat, the Capitals may have lost yet another key performer: multitasker Brooks Laich, who limped off midway through the game after being checked into the boards. Throw in Nick Backstrom's lingering concussion issues, Mike Green's abdominal surgery and the continuing funks of Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, and the prospect of a late-season run like last year's seems unlikely. Dale Hunter wasn't overreacting to Laich's left knee injury, not"

Jets are what they are -- Thrashers north

February 6

Winnipeg Free Press

columnist Ed Tait

"Somebody, no doubt, is crunching numbers right now. They are plugging 'X' factors into heretofore unexplored mathematical formulas that will spit out the answer as to why the Winnipeg Jets can't seem to manage more than a goal a game. Good for them. Any theory is worth exploring, especially after watching a lifeless, mistake-prone Jets squad crash and burn in a 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre Sunday afternoon. Well, here's another to discuss today among yourselves... You can pick up a franchise and move it 2,075 kilometres north from Atlanta to Winnipeg, you can change the name and jersey colours and set them up in front of a passionate fan base. But you can't change"

Crosby's playing style unlikely to change

February 5

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

columnist Dave Molinari

"It would make sense, of course. When a guy's medical records from a 13-month period look like Sidney Crosby's do, making a few adjustments might seem prudent. Might seem, for example, like a good time to spend some more time out on the perimeter. There's more time and space available there, usually, and for good reason: The farther most players get from the net, the less likely they are to be seriously involved in scoring plays. That means opponents have fewer opportunities, and less incentive, to administer the kind of hits -- be they delivered by a shoulder, a stick, an elbow of a forearm -- that can lead to a guy consulting specialists in disciplines he didn't know existed a day"

Leafs dominant in victory over Senators

February 5

Toronto Star

columnist Damien Cox

"This is the team Brian Burke thought he had assembled. And it apparently travels best with lots and lots of noisy friends. Five months into the 2011-12 campaign, the Maple Leafs are again injury free. On this Saturday night at least, that made them a dominant hockey club. This 5-0 triumph over the Ottawa Senators was more than a 5-0 triumph. It was an emphatic statement that came just 19 days after the Sens, at that point arguably the charming surprise team of the season, strolled into the ACC and emerged with two points via a gritty comeback. Since then, the Leafs have lost once while the Sens, suffering through the frigid winter the GTA isn't having, have won once. The once-sizeable"

Ideal scenario for young Sens

February 5

Ottawa Sun

columnist Jason York

"With 27 games left in the regular season, the Senators have put themselves in an ideal position for the stretch run. Despite the team's five-game losing streak heading into Saturday's game against Toronto, Ottawa was still sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference — a far cry from the last-place predictions of many prognosticators. It's fair to say the Senators have overacheived so far in 2011-12. With just a couple of months until the playoffs, teams have pretty much forged their identities and contenders are looking to solidify their positions in the standings. Now we'll see what these Senators are truly made of. As they head down the stretch in a playoff spot, pressure will mount"

Tavares making believers of Isles fans

February 4

Ottawa Citizen

columnist Wayne Scanlan

"To the average hockey fan, the New York Islanders evoke a certain image: Eccentric management operating a losing team out of an ancient arena. From within, John Tavares holds a different view, having staked out a loyalist position. Tavares, the 21-year-old face of this long-troubled franchise, sees a promising young team with a realistic dream of reliving some of its old glory, and he would like nothing better than to help guide it there. When Tavares signed a three-year, $33-million extension in September, he sent a strong message to his Islanders teammates and fans that – whatever else might befall this franchise – the cornerstone of hope was in place. The move was as important as it was"

Should they stay or should they go?

February 4

Edmonton Journal

columnist John MacKinnon

"In the wake of Sam Gagner's marvellous eight-point night against the Blackhawks, there was much chatter about the asking price for him either going sharply up, or his coming off the NHL trade market altogether. A better question, three weeks out from the Feb. 27 NHL trade deadline, might be: Was the 22-year-old centre ever on offer to begin with? The answer very likely is no, especially since Oilers GM Steve Tambellini is all about step-by-step development and having the patience to stick with that process. Speaking of process, Tambellini met with his pro scouting staff on Friday in Edmonton as part of the preparation for the trade deadline. Now, one game, however spectacular, is just one"

Carter's exit only a matter of time

February 4

Columbus Dispatch

columnist Michael Arace

"If the Blue Jackets were not the last-place team in the NHL, Jeff Carter would be a happy, productive member of the team. That is an interesting premise. Does it hold? Failed relationships in sports can be ugly things. I covered Brendan Shanahan when he begged off the Hartford Whalers in 1996. It was a punch in the gut for the fans who felt big-timed, but at least Shanahan made his decision public and accepted the wrath he knew was coming. I covered Adam Foote when he bailed on Columbus in the midst of a playoff hunt in 2008. In his last days as Jackets captain, before any trade had been consummated, he waffled publicly while, behind the scenes, his new Colorado Avalanche equipment was"

Gagner's eight-point outing one for the record books

February 3

Edmonton Journal

columnist John MacKinnin

"For one unforgettable night a little 1980s magic was back at Rexall Place, most of it being made by Sam Gagner. Make that a lot of magic, actually, a dazzling eight-point show for the likable forward, who finished with a five-point third-period flourish. Both the eight points in a game and the five-point period tied franchise records. The 22-year-old Gagner scored four times and assisted on the Edmonton Oilers other goals as they outskilled the high-octane Chicago Blackhawks 8-4. That made it three wins in their last four for the Oilers, who have collected seven of the last available eight points."

Reader's guide to Crosby saga

February 2

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

columnist Joe Starkey

"The vague original description still works as good as anything we've heard since: "Upper-body injury." That is how the Penguins labeled Sidney Crosby's condition after he absorbed two head shots in the first week of 2011. Thirteen months, two elaborate news conferences and one brief comeback later, we have no further information. We just know Crosby is hurting."

Simple for Hawks: Finish or be finished

February 2

Chicago Tribune

columnist Steve Rosenbloom

"The Blackhawks played the NHL-wide-despised Canucksabout even in the first period of their first game back from an All-Star Game as useful as John Scott. After that, the Hawks dominated play. Shots, chances, puck possession --- you name, it, the Hawks owned it. But they couldn't finish. And then they lost. The Hawks couldn't kill the NHL-wide-despised Canucks, even with a power play in the dying minutes of regulation. And then Daniel Sedin popped home the winner in overtime after his family had done nothing all game. The Hawks couldn't finish. Not a good start to a nine-game road trip, eh?"

To trade or not to trade Miller, that's Sabres' question

February 2

Buffalo News

columnist Bucky Gleason

"Ryan Miller has been the first to downplay tying Dominik Hasek's franchise record for career victories because the variables have changed. His 234 wins with the Sabres came with an asterisk because they included 32 shootouts. Hasek, one of the best breakaway goalies ever, had 70 ties in nine years in Buffalo. Miller played well enough and deserved to break the record with a win over the first-place Rangers on Wednesday night. He made 29 saves and recorded his second shutout this season in what officially was a 1-0 shootout loss. He hasn't allowed a goal in 120 minutes, 51 seconds but has a 1-0-1 record to show for his last two games. He submitted his best performance of the season against"

Video helps to establish what hits are legal in NHL

February 2

Washington Times

columnist Stephen Whyno

"It reached the point where the NHL's suspension process was so mysterious and unclear that it was a running joke. An online "Wheel of Justice" was created to predict a player's supplemental discipline after a questionable incident. That changed this season with Brendan Shanahan being named vice president of player safety. The league also implemented a suspension process with video explanations designed to bring transparency to a process that was shrouded in secrecy for so long. Four months into this experiment and a week after Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin received a three-game suspension, the system still is a work in progress despite generally positive reviews from players."

Flyers have no choice but to keep playing Bryz

February 1

CSN Philly

columnist Jay Greenberg

"Bryan Little beat Ilya Bryzgalov through the five-hole, which seems like more of that $51 million down the rat hole, but at least this time the goalie stopped the other two tries in the shootout. That's two more than Bryzgalov did against the Avalanche and the Bruins -- and he actually looked comfortable doing so. He got his right pad down on Kyle Wellwood, got the legs together on Blake Wheeler. Two pretty good saves and two saves probably good enough for a win if the Flyers had somebody other than Claude Giroux and Danny Briere who is a threat in the shootout."

King-sized gamble fails

February 1

New York Post

columnist Larry Brooks

"The most singular weapon the Blueshirts have had over the last seven seasons while inexorably tilting the Battle of the Hudson toward the shores of Manhattan remained on the bench last night in Newark. Henrik Lundqvist, the answer to the question, "Who Was That Masked Man?" as the Lone Ranger to start in goal against the Devils the last 32 times the clubs had met — 37 including the 2008 playoffs — dating back to Dec. 17, 2006, was only a bystander in his team's excruciating 4-3 shootout defeat that first got away on a bizarre bounce with under a minute to go in regulation before Ilya Kovalchuk drove home the only goal in the skills competition."

Panthers focus on division to end lengthy playoff drought

February 1

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

columnist Mike Berardino

"Win enough — maybe even a shootout or two, eh? — to call yourselves division champions. "You can sit there and hope for one team or another to win on a given night," Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said Tuesday, "but really, for me, it's about taking care of your own business." Follow that Bachman-Turnover Overdrive appoach within the division over these next 9 1/2 weeks and the NHL's longest playoff drought will finally end after a dozen embarrassing years. That 34-game sprint to the finish line starts tonight at the Bank Atlantic Center against the Capitals, who come in holding the tiebreaker over the Panthers atop the Southleast Division."

Wild sleepwalk into disaster

February 1

St. Paul Pioneer Press

columnist Tom Powers

"It's not accurate to say the Wild went into a shell. It's more like they went into a coma. Tuesday night's game against the Nashville Predators resulted in a miserable, heartbreaking, discouraging 5-4 loss. And the Wild deserved every bit of it. Cruise control is a nice feature to have on an automobile. But it is deadly for a hockey team. The Wild played about 2-1/2 periods of beautiful hockey against the Predators, and the results were astounding: a 4-1 lead against a good opponent. Then they took their foot off the gas. That damned cruise control must look awfully inviting when a team isn't quite in shape after the all-star break. So they went into prevent mode. Just flip the puck out of"

Wild's déjà vu scenario does not bode well

February 1

Minneapolis Star Tribune

columnist Jim Souhan

"The young coach, hand-picked by General Manager Chuck Fletcher, had rallied the Wild into playoff contention, earning praise all around the league. His temporary success only served as a prelude to the greatest challenge to and of his career. By the time the public had reacted to a surprising stretch of winning hockey, the Wild had stumbled, and franchise player Mikko Koivu had suffered a pivotal injury. Worse, a key player, a talented veteran from the Czech Republic, had revolted, and suddenly the affable young coach had to wonder how he was going to survive the season. That's true today, in the wake of veteran defenseman Marek Zidlicky complaining about his role under Mike Yeo on a day"

Belanger pursues lucky No. 13

February 1

Edmonton Journal

columnist John MacKinnon

"Eric Belanger didn't just shoot the puck into an opponent's net Tuesday night for the first time all season, he made it look easy, natural as you please. Since it was just the second goal all year for the capable 34-year-old veteran two-way centre, rest assured the goals have not come easily in his first season with the Edmonton Oilers. Which has been most unnatural for Belanger, not to mention an increasingly irksome burden."

Could the 'best backup goalie in hockey' be traded this summer?

February 1

Vancouver Province

columnist Ed Willies

"Before anyone gets too excited, Henrik Sedin didn't say the Vancouver Canucks play harder for Cory Schneider. What the Vancouver Canucks' captain said, clearly and unequivocally, is the Canucks' recognize their backup goalie has one of the most thankless jobs in hockey. He might play twice in a week. He might go a month between starts. But he's expected to play a critical, if not fully appreciated role, on a team with Stanley Cup aspiration all, most importantly, while being a good guy in the room."

Concussions are headache for NHL

January 31

Tampa Tribune

columnist Martin Fennelly

"Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman skated here, there, everywhere Monday night at the Forum. It was the Lightning's first practice after the All-Star break. When it was done, Bolts coach Guy Boucher briefly ducked out of a media scrum to check with Lightning head trainer Tom Mulligan. Hedman will play Tuesday night against the Washington Capitals. "Yes, he's ready to go," Boucher said. "I feel good," Hedman said. "It's been a long road back." And still we worry. Victor Hedman is barely 21. And it's the head, man. Hedman has missed 13 games since suffering a concussion in late December. How do you not worry when you consider the hockey times we live in?"

Capitals 'down to crunch time'

January 31

Washington Post

columnist Katie Carrera

"With much still to be determined about how this year plays out for the Capitals, no one needs to remind the players of the importance of each of the final 34 contests in the regular season. They know there's plenty of room left for improvement but that they need to make those strides as quickly as possible, beginning with back-to-back games against Tampa Bay and Florida. "It's down to crunch time," Coach Dale Hunter said. "You're going down the home stretch, every point means a lot. All these games [end up] being playoff type hockey games.""

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock speaks volumes quietly

January 31

Detroit News

columnist John Niyo

"Some nights he wants to scream, sure. What coach doesn't? But there's a reason Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said what he said after his team's 7-2 loss last week to the Canadiens before the All-Star break. "I'm not going to look at the video of this at all," Babcock said after the game. "I'm going to go out and drink, actually, is what I'm going to do." Funny line. Smart, too. Honesty is always the best policy for a coach. And that's especially true for a successful coach like Babcock, whose seven years in Detroit make him the third-longest-tenured bench boss in the NHL, behind only Buffalo's Lindy Ruff and Nashville's Barry Trotz. Because after 632 games with Detroit — including the"