Newark, N.J. • For one game, at least, in the Eastern Conference finals, the New Jersey Devils found a way to beat Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers.

After losing out in the Rangers’ block party in Game 1, the Devils found a solution in Game 2. They forechecked, moved the puck, didn’t give the New York defense time to set up, shot quickly and got traffic in front of the Rangers’ goaltender.

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It wasn’t anything novel. It was Hockey 101, and a better effort than in the opener of the best-of-7 series.

Now it’s the Rangers’ turn to respond as the series shifts to New Jersey for Game 3 at the Prudential Center on Saturday.

“We know the Rangers are going to push,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. “We know they’re going to come out and play a great hockey game [Saturday]. It’s on us to do the same thing. So I expect it to be the best game of the series [Saturday] from both ends.”

Coyotes at Kings

El Segundo, Calif. • Dwight King has been living in a hotel since the Los Angeles Kings recalled him from the minors just over three months ago, and the playoff hero isn’t about to move out.

He’s not tempting fate while the Kings are on the verge of exceeding his wildest dreams for his first NHL postseason run.

“It’s a dream,” King said Friday at the club training complex while Los Angeles recovered from its 2-1 victory in Game 3. “You want to be part of the Stanley Cup playoffs. To be a contributor is even better. Everything is coming around.”

Indeed, Los Angeles is on the brink of its second Stanley Cup final after leaping to a 3-0 lead over reeling Phoenix in the Western Conference finals. The eighth-seeded Kings are on an unbelievable 11-1 streak with eight consecutive wins in the postseason, outscoring their opponents 37-17 and winning the first three games in each series.

With a victory in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon, the Kings finally would have another banner to hang next to the single division title and conference title banners decorating a small section of a wall at Staples Center.

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/54143537-77/game-rangers-series-angeles.html.csp

The first shot in what could be a long and ugly labour battle was fired this week when the NHL gave notice to the NHLPA that it wants to modify or terminate the existing collective bargaining agreement in September. The decision was bad news for fans who were hoping to avoid another extended work stoppage.

Or maybe not. After all, everyone already knew that a renegotiation of the existing deal was coming, so the league’s move amounted to a mere legal formality. The real action won’t come until the two sides sit down to bargain later in the summer.

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How will those negotiations go? Nobody knows yet, but sources tell me that the two sides are already hard at work compiling their lists of demands. According to insiders, here are some of the key issues that the NHL and NHLPA will be taking to the bargaining table over the next few months.

NHLPA While we always realized that the odds of the Raffi Torres suspension being reduced on appeal were low, it still would have been nice for Gary Bettman to let Torres complete at least one sentence without immediately banging a giant gong.

NHL We all agree that we absolutely must do something to discourage teams from signing players to extremely long-term contracts, so could you guys ask Ilya Bryzgalov to send us a nice photo we could make into a poster to hang in every owner’s office?

NHLPA Several of our members insist that we revamp the draft lottery system so that the Edmonton Oilers don’t win every year, although come to think of it everyone who told us that looked an awful lot like a 17-year-old prospect wearing a fake moustache and beard.

NHL Yes, having large markets play deep into the playoffs increases television ratings and yes, it’s important for overall league revenue that the sport do well in the southern U.S., but we still can’t shake the nagging feeling that at some point someone will notice that the L.A. Kings’ net has been two feet smaller than everyone else’s for the last month.

NHLPA Mike Komisarek says it would be super-awesome if we could have just one conversation about an amnesty buyout period without everyone in the hockey world awkwardly turning and staring at him.

NHL Everyone is clearly fed up with the current discipline system where some suspensions are too long and others are too short and there’s never any consistency, so let’s just go back to having every suspension consistently being too short like it was a few years ago.

NHLPA We’ve still been unable to get any feedback on CBA issues from any members of the New York Rangers, since whoever keeps answering the phone when we call their dressing room just grunts monosyllabic answers at us like a sullen teenager and hangs up.

NHL Look, all those “lazy Russians don’t want to win in the playoffs” narratives took a lot of work for the hockey world to build up over the years, so we’d really appreciate it if Ilya Kovalchuk could stop single-handedly ruining them.

NHLPA While we realize that it’s become tradition for the Stanley Cup winning captain to pose for a photograph with the commissioner before being handed the trophy, it’s still kind of creepy how Bettman always takes that moment to whisper “I’ve been sitting in this all day without pants.”

NHL Even though he did somehow obtain all of the proper licences and permits first, it’s still not cool how David Booth keeps leaping out of our grandkids’ closets and gunning down all their teddy bears.

NHLPA While we can appreciate that the league would like to increase offence by encouraging forwards and defencemen to refrain from blocking shots, there has to be a better way than just mailing us all a “What Would Marc-André Fleury Do?” bracelet.

NHL Despite consistent profits since the last lockout and record revenues that have increased by almost $1-billion, it’s vitally important that we get further concessions from the players to ensure the ongoing health of the… oh man, we came so close to getting all the way through that with a straight face, let us try it just one more time.

Sean McIndoe’s humour site, Down Goes Brown, is updated regularly at www.downgoesbrown.com

Source: http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/05/19/nhl-and-nhlpas-special-demands-for-cba/

Newark, N.J. • Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 36 shots, and Dan Girardi, Chris Kreider and Ryan Callahan scored third-period goals to lead the New York Rangers to a 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday.

The Rangers scored two goals only 1 minute, 57 seconds apart early in the third to help them take a 2-1 series lead.

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Lundqvist was busy from the opening faceoff en route to his second shutout of the series and third in the postseason. Callahan iced it with an empty-netter late in third.

Game 4 is Monday in New Jersey.

Not even playing on home ice, where they had won four straight, was enough to help New Jersey. The Rangers have won every Game 1, lost each Game 2, and rebounded to win Game 3 in every round this postseason. Each preceding series, of course, saw them win the all-important last one: Game 7.

Kreider, a rookie called up during Round 1 vs. Ottawa, has scored in every game of this series.

Lundqvist was fantastic as he showed again why he led the Rangers to an Eastern Conference-high 109 points. He stoned Adam Henrique on a nice backhander late in the second period to keep it scoreless entering the third, setting the stage for New York’s late magic.

He also toyed with Ilya Kovalchuk all game and stopped him on a nice breakaway in the second. Kovalchuk, who scored in Game 2, couldn’t get untracked and neither could the rest of the Devils.

Especially not with the way Lundqvist shined in net.

The Rangers opened the third ready to go against Martin Brodeur and found a way to give Lundqvist a needed cushion.

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With Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador in the penalty box, Girardi pushed a slow wrist shot past Brodeur’s glove side, off a faceoff win by center Brad Richards. Brodeur could have easily stopped the point-blank shot, especially with no traffic in front of the net.

The Rangers could have squeezed in a pair of John Tortorella press conferences before their next goal.

Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh wristed a shot along the ice toward Brodeur that got through to the crease, eventually being deflected by Kreider and around a prone Brodeur. Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky was out of position at the faceoff circle, when Kreider sneaked in behind him and poked it in.

The Devils kept up the pressure the rest of the way, but got nowhere with an ineffective power play. And as they skated off dejectedly toward their locker room, they could only look back and wonder how they came up empty with so many shots on Lundqvist.

New Jersey spent most of the game sticking it to the Rangers all over the ice. The Devils dominated and outshot the Rangers, 26-14, through the first two periods.

In the second period, Rangers winger Brandon Prust threw a hard right elbow into the back of Anton Volchenkov’s head that knocked the defenseman down in a heap. No penalty was called and the crowd howled in protest. Devils coach Peter DeBoer was furious at the non-call and was yelling on the bench as he looked up at the replay overhead. Volchenkov eventually got to his feet and later returned to the ice.

Lundqvist was at his best in the third, snaring Kovalchuk’s one-timer to turn away any attempt at a late Devils rally.

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Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/54146069-77/game-rangers-devils-lundqvist.html.csp

NEWARK, N.J., May 19 (UPI) — Henrik Lundqvist turned aside all 36 shots he saw Saturday and the New York Rangers blanked New Jersey 3-0 to take an Eastern Conference Finals lead.

Lundqvist made 25 of his stops over the final two periods and turned in his second shutout in three contests to start the series, boosting the Rangers into a 2-1 advantage over the Devils.

The game remained scoreless until 3:19 into the third period, when Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi snapped a shot off a faceoff win past Devils goalie Martin Brodeur from the right circle.

Chris Kreider doubled New York’s advantage less than 2 minutes later off assists from Ryan McDonagh and Ryan Callahan, and Callahan added an empty-netter with 2:13 left.

Brodeur stopped 19-of-21 shots for New Jersey, which look to bounce back at home in Monday’s Game 4.

Source: http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2012/05/19/NHL-New-York-Rangers-3-New-Jersey-0/UPI-57401337457164/

SHAWINIGAN, Que. – Jarred Tinordi had no idea how lucky he was hanging around an NHL rink as a little kid while his father Mark played for the Washington Capitals.

But the towering London Knights defenceman has no doubt that having a dad who played 12 big league seasons was a huge help in his own development as top NHL prospect.

“I think it’s an advantage for me personally because it’s someone close, that I know on a personal level, helping me out, who’s not a coach,” Tinordi said Saturday as the Knights prepared to play their first game at the MasterCard Memorial Cup against the defending champion Saint John Sea Dogs. “He’s a father and a player, so that helped me a lot growing up.

“I remember when I was a kid going to the practice rink in Washington and seeing all the guys, meeting all the players. We’d always be in the locker-room during practice. It was fun. You don’t really know when you’re that age what it means, but looking back on it, it was a pretty good experience.”

Tinordi was seven when his father retired in 1999 after a 663-game career that started with the New York Rangers in 1987. Mark Tinordi played most of his career with the Minnesota North Stars and was captain when that club moved to Dallas. He joined the Capitals in 1994. The Red Deer, Alta. native also played in the 1991 Canada Cup.

Jarred Tinordi is one of seven players at the Memorial Cup with NHL fathers, including his London teammate Max Domi, whose father Tie Domi scored goals and pounded heads for three teams from 1989 to 2006, the last 11 years with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Edmonton Oil Kings have four players whose fathers were NHLers, including defenceman Keegan Lowe whose dad Kevin played 1,037 games for the Oilers and is now president of the NHL club.

Centre Henrik Samuelsson, who scored the game-winner as the Oil Kings beat Shawinigan 4-3 in the tournament opener, is the son of former NHL blueliner Ulf Samuelsson.

Griffin Reinhart is the son of former Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks defenceman Paul Reinhart, while Michael St. Croix’s dad is former NHL goalie Rick St. St. Croix.

Shawinigan defenceman Dillon Donnelly’s dad is rugged former Quebec Nordique and Winnipeg Jet Gord Donnelly. The pugilistic gene was clearly passed on as Dillon got into the first fight of the Memorial Cup against Edmonton’s Mitchell Moroz.

The six-foot-seven, 218-pound Tinordi was drafted 22nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2010, which is a step ahead of his father, who was not drafted. He can now give valuable advice to his son.

“He was a big guy like me,” said Tinordi. “The main thing for us (big defencemen) is to keep it simple.

“You don’t want to get to complicated with the puck. When we’re simple and make smart plays, a good first pass, then good things happen.”

Tinordi grew up near Washington, D.C., where his father ran a hockey program, and played at the world junior championship for the United States. However, he turned down a chance to play college hockey at Notre Dame to join the Knights, a top Ontario Hockey League club run by brothers Dale and Mark Hunter.

In his first season in 2010-11, he had one goal and was minus-8 in 63 games, but he took a step forward this season with two goals and a plus-39 in 48 regular season games. Then he had three goals in 19 playoff games.

“He’s always been strong defensively and his offensive game has started to turn around,” said Knights coach Mark Hunter. “He got some goals and points in the playoffs.

“His leadership’s always been there. I just think he needs some strength, and when he’s 230 (pounds), the Montreal Canadiens will love him.”

Tinordi is a surprisingly good skater for his size, but it remains to be seen if, like extra-sized NHL defencemen before him, he can become more like the two-way Zdeno Chara or the ultra-defensive Hal Gill, who he got to work with at the Canadiens training camp.

“I’m trying to find a good mix between the two,” said Tinordi. “I know Hal from my time in Montreal and he was a great mentor to me.

“He’s a great guy to learn from. He’s won Stanley Cups. And I’ve worked on my offensive game more.”

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/knights-big-defenceman-tinordi-looks-father-mark-nhl-192157704--spt.html

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche brought back one of the last remaining links to the team’s Stanley Cup glory days, signing captain Milan Hejduk to a one-year deal.

The contract is worth $2 million, a source told ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun.

After the Avs missed the playoffs for a second straight season, the 36-year-old forward was torn about returning for a 14th season.

In the end, Hejduk elected to give it one more shot, especially because he’s only nine games away from reaching 1,000 for his career.

The soft-spoken Hejduk was an effective on-ice leader for Colorado this past season. Under his guidance, the Avs improved by 20 points from the year before, when they had the second-to-worst record in the league.

Not only that, but the team saw the rise of forward Gabriel Landeskog, a Swedish standout who is a leading candidate for rookie of the year and led the team with 22 goals.

“I believe in this organization and our young players and look forward to helping the team in any way that I can,” Hejduk said. “My family and I are very excited to continue my career here in Denver.”

Hejduk ranks fourth in goals (371) and fifth in assists (423) in franchise history.

What’s more, his 794 career points trail only Jaromir Jagr (1,653) and Patrik Elias (894) among Czech-born players who have suited up in the NHL.

However, Hejduk’s production slipped last season as he finished with just 14 goals. He had scored at least 20 goals in 11 straight seasons heading into 2011-12.

Still, the three-time Olympian has been a reliable part of the Avalanche for more than a decade and remains a fan favorite. He helped the Avs to the Stanley Cup crown in 2001.

“Over the years, Milan has been an instrumental part of our organization’s success,” general manager Greg Sherman said. “He has represented this franchise with class and will continue to complement the young nucleus of players we have been building this team around.”

This was the second big move of the offseason for Colorado. The team also signed coach Joe Sacco to a two-year extension last month.

With their coach and locker-room leader now on board, the Avs will turn their attention toward other matters concerning their roster. Peter Mueller is a restricted free agent, along with defenseman Erik Johnson, leading scorer Ryan O’Reilly and Matt Duchene, who missed a chunk of the season with knee and ankle injuries.

Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie, two players Colorado acquired before the trade deadline, are also restricted free agents. McGinn had 13 points in 17 games since his arrival from San Jose, while Downie was on quite a pace before a shoulder injury slowed him.

The unrestricted free agents include defensemen Shane O’Brien and Matt Hunwick, and forwards Jay McClement, Cody McLeod and David Jones.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Source: http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7946430/milan-hejduk-36-signs-one-year-deal-colorado-avalanche

Huge Sports Weekend In LA

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LOS ANGELES — The folks who run Staples Center and the L.A. Live complex in downtown Los Angeles like to call it the sports and entertainment capital of the world. But even this is a bit much.

With the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Kings all hosting two home playoff games between Thursday and Sunday, and the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California cycling race set to finish in front of the building Sunday morning, Staples Center is preparing for a dizzying weekend.

“It’s going to be unprecedented for any arena anywhere,” Staples Center senior vice president and general manager Lee Zeidman said. “No one will ever duplicate it except for us because we’re the only arena with an NHL team and two NBA teams.”

Some are deeming it the sports version of “Carmageddon,” the widely publicized weekend-long shutdown last summer of a 10-mile stretch of the busy 405 Freeway (Interstate 405).

If the weekend goes off like “Carmageddon” did — with little more than a mild inconvenience for most Angelenos — Zeidman and his staff will be ecstatic.

Still, there’s a reason he hasn’t slept much this week.

“The doubleheader with the Lakers and Clippers on Saturday won’t be a problem. We’ve done about 127 doubleheader conversions since this building opened in 1998,” he said. “The thing that concerns me is probably Sunday.”

Ah, Sunday. That’s when the final stage of the country’s largest stage cycling race is set to finish in front of Staples Center — approximately 30 minutes before the Kings and Phoenix Coyotes drop the puck at noon PT for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

What would complicate matters for Zeidman is if the hockey game goes to sudden-death overtime and pushes back the 7:30 p.m. PT start of the Clippers-Spurs game — the fourth game in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

There’s only so much Zeidman and his staff can do to mitigate the situation. They’ve encouraged Kings fans to arrive at Staples Center very early Sunday to help avoid any overlap with the end of the Tour of California.

They’re opening the arena doors at 9 a.m. local time and will provide free coffee and doughnuts. They’ve also constructed pedestrian bridges over nearby Figueroa Avenue and set up a free shuttle from the nearby L.A. Coliseum on the USC campus, where cycling fans are being asked to park.

Western Conference Playoffs

Get all the news and commentary on the Coyotes-Kings matchup on ESPN.com’s matchup page.

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“While it’s not my decision about what happens to that 7:30 Clipper game if the hockey game goes into overtime, I’m concerned about it,” Zeidman said. “There’s going to be a drop-dead time somewhere along the way, because what we can’t have is the hockey game ending around 5 or 5:30.

“It takes 2 hours and 15 minutes [to change the floor from hockey to basketball], so now that’s 7:15, and the teams need 90 minutes to warm up, so that puts you back to a 9 o’clock tipoff,” he said.

“So you’re looking at potentially 20,000 Kings fans emptying the building at the same time 20,000 Clippers fans are waiting outside and we’re not ready yet. That’s my biggest fear.”

If you’re curious: The NHL record for the longest Stanley Cup playoff game belongs to the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons, who went into six overtimes (116 minutes, 30 seconds) in 1936 in a 1-0 Wings victory.

In the modern era, the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins went five overtimes (92:01) in 2000 before the Flyers’ Keith Primeau scored and settled things.

Zeidman says he’s working with officials from both leagues and their television partners to develop contingency plans for all of these scenarios. But he acknowledges that there may not be a perfect solution.

“If I could talk to you about it in weather terms, this is the perfect storm. But if that happened, it’d be a tsunami,” he said.

Western Conference Playoffs

Get all the news and commentary on the Spurs-Clippers matchup on ESPN.com’s matchup page.

• Predictions: Simulator | SportsNation
• More: TrueHoop | Schedule | Bracket
• Clippers Report | ESPN Los Angeles

“I’m sure we’ll get to a certain point where they’ll say, ‘Either we’re going to play by this time, or maybe we’ll move it to Monday.’ I have no idea.”

Tired yet? Try being Zeidman or any of the other upper management at Staples Center.

“I just lay there and think about everything,” he said, when asked how much he’d slept lately. “It’s going to be interesting to see how much more I sleep as it gets to Sunday.”

The good news is that the staff at Staples Center, which is owned and operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group, is probably the most experienced in the business at dealing with these sorts of challenges.

In March alone, the arena hosted 33 events in 31 days. Doubleheaders, particularly on Sundays, are common here.

The ice hockey surface is always in place, while the two basketball courts can be switched in and out in about 75 minutes. It gets more challenging when the 35-man crew is asked to change from hockey to basketball in a short amount of time.

“My guys tell me it’s easier to go from basketball to hockey because you’re just picking everything up, versus laying everything down,” Zeidman said.

Zeidman said he insisted to both leagues early in the planning stages that if there was going to be a hockey-basketball doubleheader, it would be better for basketball to go first. It didn’t work out that way, as the start time of the Kings-Coyotes game couldn’t be altered because of network time-slotting.

The NBA, in a statement, said: “Due to a variety of circumstances, we are faced
with some potential scheduling obstacles in Los Angeles this weekend. We
are currently working with our teams and network partners on contingency plans in case Sunday’s NHL game extends into multiple overtime periods.”

So Zeidman and his staff have no choice but to roll with the punches, plan, prepare and spread the word as much as possible.

“We’re trying to educate everybody,” he said. “The streets in and around downtown will close from about 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. The bike race will be done about 11:50 a.m., so we’re encouraging Kings fans who are coming to the game to get here early.”

Kings fans are encouraged to park north of Staples Center, cycling fans are encouraged to park south of the building and everyone is encouraged to take the Metro.

If avoiding all of that hassle isn’t enough reason to get there early, there’s always the lure of free food.

“We’ve got Krispy Kreme coming,” Zeidman joked. “We’ll have thousands of doughnuts.”

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Ramona Shelburne

ESPNLosAngeles.com

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Source: http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/olympics/story/_/id/7945186/staples-center-bracing-los-angeles-kings-los-angeles-clippers-doubleheader

Best And Worst Of The Playoffs So Far

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Best moments

Dan Arritt: As the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks took Game 5 to overtime on their home ice, the Los Angeles Kings were on the verge of losing the momentum gained by winning the first three games of the series. Just a few minutes into sudden death, however, Kings third-line winger Trevor Lewis poked the puck away from Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis on a backcheck in the neutral zone, resulting in a two-on-one heading the other way. As center Jarret Stoll entered the left faceoff circle, he wound up and fired a wrist shot that pegged the top left corner of the net, giving the Kings their first series victory in 11 seasons.

Scott Burnside: We often talk about the razor’s edge between success and failure, the narrowness between moving on and going home. Nowhere was that more evident this spring than in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals. The Caps, having already knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champions from Boston, had the top-seeded Rangers on the ropes. They led 2-1 late in regulation in Game 5 in New York and were poised to take a 3-2 series lead home with a chance to move to their first Eastern Conference finals since 1998. Instead, Joel Ward, the overtime hero in Game 7 in the first round, caught Carl Hagelin with a high stick: double minor. With 6.6 seconds left and a mass of players in front of rookie netminder Braden Holtby, Brad Richards somehow managed to poke the puck past Holtby and into the net to tie the game. The Rangers’ Marc Staal would score early in overtime on the carryover power play, and although the Caps did force a Game 7, that dramatic shift in momentum late in regulation was a seminal moment for the Rangers.

Craig Custance: My favorite was when Game 3 between the Rangers and Capitals in the Eastern Conference semifinals headed into triple overtime, catapulting a great game into an instant classic. The feeling of anticipation in the Verizon Center was everywhere as we prepared to see who was going to be a part of history. Both Henrik Lundqvist and Holtby were outstanding in a game when we wondered if it would ever end. To witness an incredible game like that live is something you don’t forget for a long, long time.

Pierre LeBrun: When Kings captain Dustin Brown hammered Canucks captain Henrik Sedin with a clean and thunderous hit in Game 3 of their first-round series, it was the postage-stamp moment of that upset, the rejuvenated Brown leading the way both physically and offensively and the Canucks having no answer. The Kings have not looked back, and neither has Brown, whose big hits and big goals have him as the Conn Smythe Trophy favorite.

Katie Strang: The epic triple-overtime showdown between the Rangers and Capitals in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals was my favorite moment. The league’s longest game since 2008 was the ultimate display of the grit, guts and glory — all the essential elements that make the Stanley Cup playoffs so great. Kudos to the Rangers for winning that series, so the marathon session was not for naught.

Worst moments

Dan Arritt: What Mike Smith did was inexcusable. What the referees did was even worse. The Phoenix Coyotes goaltender used his heavy stick as a weapon in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Kings, taking a whack at the back of Dustin Brown‘s legs after he had the nerve to camp in front of the crease during a power play. Brown never saw the blow coming, dropping to the ice as if he’d been shot with a taser. Unbelievably, Brown was penalized for diving on the play. As he skated to the penalty box, he could barely support his weight. Not the best moment for the NHL.

Scott Burnside: Early in the first round, Nashville captain Shea Weber rammed Henrik Zetterberg’s head into the end glass, not once but twice. The Detroit forward avoided serious injury, but it was the first of what would be a series of ugly on-the-ice incidents in the first round that led to multiple suspensions and cast an unsightly blemish on the game at a time when it should have been reveling in playoff excitement. It remains mystifying that the Weber attack on Zetterberg did not yield anything beyond a $2,500 fine, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. The incident and the lack of response by the NHL was a particularly embarrassing moment for the league in a first round full of them.

Craig Custance: Raffi Torres‘ brutal hit on Marian Hossa was the worst moment. I was covering another playoff game, but nearly everybody in the press box stopped to load the video once news spread that Hossa was being taken off the ice on a stretcher. Hossa is one of the classiest acts in hockey, and those were scary moments when we were scrambling for updates on his status. The hit capped a wild start to the playoffs that included too many borderline acts of physical play.

Pierre LeBrun: The worst was Nashville Predators forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn missing team curfew on the eve of Game 2 in Phoenix and being subsequently suspended for Game 3. Talk about selfish and stupid. And no matter what anyone says, it was the kind of distraction that undid the favored Preds in their second-round loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. You feel bad for GM David Poile and coach Barry Trotz because this was a deep and talented team, they gave them every chance to win this season, and they were partly undone by two knuckleheads who couldn’t stay in their hotel rooms on the eve of a playoff game.

Katie Strang: To me, this is the worst moment because of its far-reaching implications: Nashville captain Shea Weber inexplicably slams Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg‘s head into the glass in a fit of frustration, only to escape with a mere $2,500 fine from the league’s disciplinary arm.
The ugly moment was a harbinger of what was to come in a postseason that has been marred by the inconsistent punishments dished out by the NHL’s powers-that-be.

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Pierre LeBrun

NHL

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Source: http://espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/7943658/got-best-worst-moments-playoffs-far

Los Angeles • Dwight King scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, Jonathan Quick made 18 saves, and the Los Angeles Kings rolled to the brink of their first Stanley Cup final in 19 years with a 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night.

The Kings lead the Western Conference finals 3-0.

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Playoff schedule

Thursday

Los Angeles 2, Phoenix 1

Los Angeles leads series 3-0

Saturday

N.Y. Rangers at New Jersey, 11 a.m., Ch. 5

Series tied 1-1

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“We wanted to have our own push in front of our owns fans, show our push,” said Kings forward Jarret Stoll, whose hustle set up King’s goal. “It took us a while to get our own game (going), but we did, especially in the third period.”

Anze Kopitar also scored to help the eighth-seeded Kings improve to 11-1 in their improbable postseason run. Despite trailing in a game for the first time since April 28, King scored his fourth goal in three games against the Coyotes, who face a deficit only three teams have overcome in NHL playoff history.

Game 4 is Sunday at Staples Center.

Mike Smith stopped 26 shots in a standout performance for the third-seeded Coyotes, who must win four straight to reach their first Stanley Cup final in club history.

Although the Kings have won eight consecutive playoff games during this rampage through the West bracket, they fell behind for the first time in nearly 18 periods when Daymond Langkow scored on a breakaway for Phoenix early in the second period. That deficit disappeared just over 2 minutes later on Kopitar’s breakaway goal.

King came through again 1:47 into the third, beating Smith high to the glove side. The massive rookie scored two goals in the series opener and added the winner in Game 2.

In front of a long-suffering crowd gratefully enjoying its unexpected good fortune after decades of disappointment, the Kings dominated the third period in front of Quick. They forechecked relentlessly in the final minutes, forcing Smith to play a long stretch without his goal stick because Phoenix couldn’t clear the zone so he could retrieve it.

Los Angeles largely dominated the first two games of the series in Glendale, outshooting the Coyotes 88-51 while winning by a combined 8-2. Phoenix had no more luck than Vancouver or St. Louis against the surprising No. 8 seeds, who finished two points behind the Pacific Division champion Coyotes in the regular season before steamrolling the West’s top two teams in a combined nine games.

Phoenix played Game 3 without forward Martin Hanzal, who served a one-game suspension for boarding Dustin Brown in Game 3. Coyotes captain Shane Doan, who escaped suspension for his own hit, took up the job of agitating Brown, facewashing the Kings’ high-scoring captain with his glove during one scrum.

After Smith came up with several stellar saves during a scoreless first period, Keith Yandle slipped a long pass behind Mike Richards to Langkow, who beat Quick between the legs for his first goal of the postseason 1:03 into the second. Los Angeles hadn’t trailed since the first period of Game 1 in its second-round series with St. Louis 19 days ago.

Staples Center briefly fell silent, but reached full roar moments later when Brown found Kopitar with a long pass behind the Phoenix defense. The Slovenian star beat Smith with a backhand for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

The teams were even in goals and shots heading to the third period, but King quickly put Los Angeles ahead with the latest impressive play of his incredible first NHL playoff run. Moments after Smith made a spectacular point-blank save on Stoll, King collected the puck during a delayed penalty and wired a high shot past Smith’s glove into the top corner of the net.

Phoenix responded to its deficit with more physical play in Game 3, although keeping most of it within legal limits after the borderline goonery of the Game 2 blowout. The Coyotes inserted enforcer Paul Bissonnette into their lineup for the first time since Game 4 of the opening round.

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/54136314-77/game-kings-coyotes-angeles.html.csp

Veteran forward, team captain and
three-time All-Star Milan Hejduk has signed a one-year contract
to stay with the Colorado Avalanche through the 2012-13 season,
the National Hockey League (NHL) team said on Friday.

The softly spoken 36-year-old Czech Republic native, who
helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup in 2001, has played for the
club for the last 13 years.

A triple Olympian, Hejduk recorded 11 straight 20-goal
seasons in Colorado from 1999-00 to 2010-11, and is just nine
games short of becoming the first player in the franchise to
appear in 1,000 games.

“Over the years, Milan has been an instrumental part of our
organization’s success,” Avalanche General Manager Greg Sherman
said in a statement.

“He has represented this franchise with class and will
continue to complement the young nucleus of players we have been
building this team around.”

Originally selected by the Quebec Nordiques in the fourth
round of the 1994 NHL Draft, Hejduk has recorded 371 goals and
423 assists in 991 games in the league.

He ranks fourth all-time in goals and points (794) for the
franchise, and fifth in assists.

“My family and I are very excited to continue my career here
in Denver,” Hejduk, an All-Star in 2000, 2001 and 2009, said. “I
believe in this organisation and our young players and look
forward to helping the team in any way that I can.”

Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/18052012/2/nhl-avalanche-sign-veteran-forward-hejduk-year-deal.html

The NHLPA could have also provided the league with notice but chose not to, apparently accepting the status quo.

“As you know, this is no surprise,” NHLPA leader Donald Fehr said in an e-mail to players and agents Wednesday, according to Sports Business Daily.

Unlike the NFL or NBA, the NHL has not made its wishes – either financial or otherwise – clear heading into the expiration of the deal. The sides were supposed to begin informal negotiations during January’s all-star break but did not.

The NHL has claimed, through commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly, that it is ready to begin negotiations at any time.

Clearly, the NHL’s owners would like to see more financial concessions from the players, who earn 57 percent of the league’s revenue. The NFL and NBA both rolled their players back to somewhere near 50 percent with their respective lockouts before these last seasons. The NFL started its season on time. The NBA shortened its schedule.

The NHL is set to surpass $3 billion in revenue for the first time this season. Though that is just a fraction of what the other three major sports leagues earn per season, it would be the league’s seventh straight season of record revenue.

Contact Frank Seravalli at seravaf@phillynews.com or on Twitter @DNFlyers.

Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/homepage/20120517_NHL_tells_players_it_wants_to_terminate_labor_deal.html

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA – News) announced today the key features for EA
SPORTS^TMNHL^®13, promising
the biggest change to the franchise since the introduction of the Skill
Stick in NHL^® 07. Headlined by all-new
True Performance Skating, and supported by an innovative new A.I.
system dubbed EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q., NHL 13 will deliver a
revamped gameplay experience that accurately captures the speed,
creativity and strategy of NHL hockey. In addition, NHL 13 will
also deliver new experiences that connect hockey fans to their friends
and the real world of hockey with the all-new GM Connected and NHL
Moments Live modes. NHL 13 will be available on September 11, 2012
in North America and September 14, 2012 in Europe.

“The NHL team has been a leader when it comes to innovation in the
sports videogame category on this console generation by redefining
player control with the introduction of the Skill Stick, creating
connected experiences such as the EA SPORTS Hockey League and
introducing real world physics to the team sports category,” says Dean
Richards, General Manager, NHL, EA SPORTS. “With our feature set in NHL
13, hockey fans and sports gamers have a lot to be excited about as
we are again going to deliver major innovations that will change the way
you play the game.”

NHL 13 delivers an innovative new gameplay experience, accurately
capturing the speed, creativity and strategy of today’s NHL through:

• True Performance Skating – A game-changing innovation for the
  franchise that adds physics-driven skating and over 1000 new
  animations. True Performance Skating authentically replicates the
  explosiveness, momentum and top end speed displayed by today’s NHL
  players. True Performance Skating combined with the Skill Stick,
  finally gives gamers access to the entire toolset of an NHL player,
  delivering unprecedented control and unlocking a level of creativity
  never before possible in a hockey videogame.
• EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q. – An innovative new A.I. system that
  governs the behaviors of players, goalies and team systems. In
  previous NHL games, players were only aware of skaters in their
  immediate proximity and goalies could only react to the player in
  control of the puck. With EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q., all players are now
  fully aware of every other player on the ice, resulting in quicker,
  smarter and more true-to-life decision-making. EA SPORTS Hockey IQ
  also delivers the deepest and most customizable set of real-world
  hockey systems and strategies ever for the franchise.

NHL 13 will deliver new experiences that connect hockey fans to
their friends and to NHL hockey with:

• GM Connected – The ultimate fantasy league with friends. GM
  Connected takes the franchise’s most popular offline mode, Be a GM,
  and allows you to play with and against your friends in your own
  30-team NHL. Whether you are a hardcore sports gamer or a hockey fan
  that moonlights as an armchair general manager, the mode offers
  unrivaled accessibility and depth by allowing players to manage, play
  or coach on the road to building your team’s legacy. GM’s can also
  take their experience with them with a mobile companion app, ensuring
  that they never miss a single moment.*
• NHL Moments Live – Rewrite or relive history as you replay some
  of the most thrilling moments from today’s NHL. NHL 13 evolves
  the concept introduced by other sports games, introducing each
  scenario with real-world NHL footage to bring players closer to the
  intensity of the moment. Moments from the 2011-12 NHL season will ship
  on disc and new moments from the 2012-13 NHL season will be added as
  and when available throughout the season.

Fans of the franchise can expect several other improvements and
innovations in NHL 13, such as:

• Team-First Presentation, which customizes your NHL 13 experience
  based on your favorite NHL team
• The addition of Customizable EA SPORTS Hockey IQ allowing players to
  create and record their own player and team strategies to a level
  never before seen in the franchise.
• Improvements to core offline and online modes, including Hockey
  Ultimate Team, Be a Pro, EA SPORTS Hockey League, a refined on-ice
  presentation, and more.

NHL 13 Stanley Cup^®
Collector’s Edition Available for Pre-Order

Celebrate over 20 years of EA SPORTS NHL hockey with the first ever
collector’s edition on this console generation. With Stanley
Cup-inspired digital offerings, the NHL 13 Stanley Cup
Collector’s Edition includes:

• Exclusive collectible Stanley Cup^® tin featuring an
  embossed Stanley Cup image
• Two Stanley Cup^® Theme Hockey Ultimate Team packs featuring
  randomized player items from the Western and Eastern Conference
  Champions
• Gold Jumbo Hockey Ultimate Team Pack (Regular) featuring 24 randomized
  items, including an exclusive Wayne Gretzky Hockey Ultimate Team
  Legend and six other rare items
• A CCM Boost Pack featuring the all-new CCM RBZ stick (For use in Be a
  Pro and EA SPORTS™ Hockey League)
• A 10% discount on a one-time purchase at shop.NHL.com
• A complete copy of NHL 13

MSRP: $79.99

Visit the EA
SPORTS NHL 13 website for more details and other pre-order
offers.

*App not available in France, Gibraltar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Libya,
Morocco, Serbia and Montenegro, and Syria

Assets:

To download assets, please visit the EA press site at http://info.ea.com.

NHL 13 is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver and has not
yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI; visit www.esrb.org
and www.pegi.info
for more information. Become a fan of EA SPORTS NHL on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/easportsnhl
and follow us on Twitter via http://www.twitter.com/easportsnhl.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs,
forums and game communities, please visit www.easports.com
to connect, share and compete.

EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the
world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive
technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA
SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports
through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL
football, FIFA Soccer, NHL^® hockey, NBA
LIVE basketball, NCAA^® Football, Tiger
Woods PGA TOUR^® golf, SSX^TM,
and Fight Night boxing. For more information about EA SPORTS,
including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com.

EA SPORTS, SSX, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic
Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and
Publishing) Ltd. John Madden, NFL, NBA, NHL NCAA, Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR
and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with
permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NHL® 13 is an Officially Licensed Product of the NHL and the
NHLPA. NHLPA, National Hockey League Players’ Association and the NHLPA
logo are trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA. NHL and the NHL Shield are
registered trademarks of the National Hockey League.

NHL, the NHL Shield and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are
registered trademarks and NHL Awards name and logo are trademarks of the
National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the
NHL and its teams. © NHL 2012. All Rights Reserved.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA – News) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services
for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones,
tablets and social networks. EA has more than 220 million registered
players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a
portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such
as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and
Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.

The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass
Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd.
Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. John Madden,
NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with
permission.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50282816lang=en

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50282816lang=en

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/nhl-13-delivers-major-innovations-100000558.html

HELSINKI — San Jose Sharks center Michal Handzus scored the winning goal on a tip-in as Slovakia beat Canada Thursday 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the ice hockey world championships.

“Our boys didn’t want to go home yet,” Slovakia coach Vladimir Vujtek said.

It is the first time in history Canada has made an early exit from the tournament on three straight occasions. It lost in the quarterfinals in 2010 and 2011.

Tomas Kopecky of the Florida Panthers opened the scoring at 5:57, followed by Miroslav Satan at 9:14 to give Slovakia a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Canada rallied in the second period, with Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane scoring at 16:14 and a power-play goal by Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner 10 minutes later.

Vancouver Canucks winger Alex Burrows added a third goal before the end of the period, giving Canada a 3-2 lead.

Milan Bartovic tied it for Slovakia at 13:25, and four minutes later, Handzus gave his country a place in Saturday’s semifinals against either Sweden or the Czech Republic.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Source: http://espn.go.com/olympics/hockey/story/_/id/7941549/world-ice-hockey-championships-slovakia-ousts-canada-quarters

HELSINKI — Finnish forward Jesse Joensuu‘s winning goal with nine seconds left lifted Finland past the United States 3-2 Thursday for a place in the semifinals of the hockey world championships.

Joensuu opened the scoring at 13:27 in the second period, but Anaheim Ducks rookie forward Kyle Palmieri scored 20 seconds later.

Bobby Ryan, also of the Ducks, added a goal for the U.S. early in the third period for a 2-1 lead.

Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild tied it with 6:58 left in the third. Joensuu, once with the New York Islanders, pounced on a pass from Petri Kontiola and scored from close in with just nine seconds left.

Finland meets Russia on Saturday in the semifinal.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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Source: http://espn.go.com/olympics/hockey/story/_/id/7942470/world-hockey-championships-finland-eliminates-us-quarterfinals

EDMONTON, Alberta — Tom Renney is out as coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

The team announced on its Twitter feed Thursday that it won’t renew Renney’s contract.

“Tom’s done some great things for our hockey club,” general manager Steve Tambellini said in a video statement posted on the Oilers’ website. “But we felt at this time it was the right decision to make a change.

[+] Enlarge

“We’re entering a new phase of our hockey club. We’ve got some great challenges, but ones that we’re looking forward to. I want to thank Tom for his work that he’s done with us.”

The Oilers were 32-40-10 this season, the second-worst record in the NHL, after going a league-worst 25-45-12 in 2010-11 in Renney’s first season with the team.

“I’m not going to dissect Tom as a coach. He’s a good man, a good coach,” Tambellini said. “I’m sure again he’ll work again as a head coach soon.”

The Oilers have a stable of high draft picks, taking forwards Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first overall in the last two drafts. They are counting on Hall, Nugent-Hopkins and forwards Sam Gagner and Jordan Eberle, both 22, and 21-year-old Magnus Paajarvi to drive them back into playoff contention.

“We need to get to a different level of compete, a different level of competing for playoff spots,” Tambellini said. “We’ve had some young people now who have been here through a couple of years. We’ve had some veterans who have underachieved for whatever reason and expectations will increase, as they should.”

The 57-year-old Renney also has coached the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.

“Obviously, it’s about wins and losses,” Renney said at the end of this season. “I try to work hard. I try to be the good soldier in what the organization requires of me. I do try to let my body of work speak for itself.”

The timing of the announcement prompted speculation that former Calgary Flames coach Brent Sutter is in line to replace Renney. Sutter coached Canada in the world championship and the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals Thursday. Tambellini said Edmonton’s announcement on the same day was a coincidence.

“As far as guys who are candidates out there, there’s going to be a lot of speculation,” Tambellini said. “Brent, he’s a good coach, there’s no question about that, but let us go through the process and just get it right.”

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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Source: http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7943141/edmonton-oilers-coach-tom-renney-part-ways

Kings on verge of sweep of Coyotes after Game 3 victory

Kings Take 3-0 Lead

VIDEO PLAYLIST

• Kings Take 3-0 Lead
  

  Kings Take 3-0 Lead

• Melrose On Kings’ Game 3 Win
  

  Melrose On Kings’ Game 3 Win

• Kings Get Aggressive in Close Games
  

  Kings Get Aggressive in Close Games

• Will The Latest Coyotes Sale Go Through?
  

  Will The Latest Coyotes Sale Go Through?

LOS ANGELES — When Daymond Langkow beat Jonathan Quick on a breakaway and celebrated Phoenix’s first lead in the Western Conference finals, captain Dustin Brown was almost curious how his Los Angeles Kings would respond to the first serious adversity they’ve faced in weeks.

Their answer told Brown that this unbelievable bunch of Kings is almost ready to play for the Stanley Cup.

Anze Kopitar scored the tying breakaway goal just 2:07 later, Dwight King added the winner early in the third period and the Kings rolled to the brink of their first Stanley Cup final in 19 years with a 2-1 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night, taking a 3-0 lead in the West finals.

Quick made 18 saves, and the eighth-seeded Kings improved to 11-1 in an undeniably charmed run through the NHL postseason by a franchise with 44 seasons of frustrating, Cup-free history.

For the third straight series, the West’s final playoff team will play for a sweep in Game 4 on Sunday.

“Phoenix was a lot better tonight, but we found a way to win,” Brown said. “That’s what it takes this time of year. It’s exciting. There’s a lot of guys in here that haven’t experienced this … but the thing that’s made this work is how we’re handling all this. We’re up 3-0 again.”

Although the Kings trailed for the first time in nearly 18 periods since April 28, they bounced back swiftly before largely controlling the third period. King scored his fourth goal in three games against the Coyotes, who face a deficit only three teams have overcome in NHL playoff history.

King connected 1:47 into the third, beating Mike Smith high to the glove side. The massive rookie scored two goals in the series opener and added the winner in Game 2.

“Everybody is answering the challenge and being better,” said King, who has outscored the Coyotes all by himself in the series. “We’re playing good, playing consistent. With the way we’re going, we’re tough to beat right now.”

Western Conference Playoffs

Get all the news and commentary on the Coyotes-Kings matchup on ESPN.com’s matchup page.

• LeBrun: Series preview
• Predictions: Experts | You tell us!
• Playoffs schedule | Cross Checks blog
• Kings blog | ESPN Los Angeles

Smith stopped 26 shots in a standout performance for the third-seeded Coyotes, who must win four straight to reach their first Stanley Cup final in club history.

“None of us planned on being in (a 3-0 hole),” Phoenix captain Shane Doan said. “I don’t think it’s disbelief, but I think it’s disappointed.”

In front of a long-suffering crowd gratefully enjoying its unexpected good fortune after decades of disappointment, the Kings dominated the third period in front of Quick. They forechecked relentlessly in the final minutes, forcing Smith to play a long stretch without his goal stick because Phoenix couldn’t clear the zone so he could retrieve it.

The crowd soaked in another memorable performance during the best playoff run by this Second Six franchise since Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille led Los Angeles to its only conference title in 1993, while the Coyotes wondered if their own remarkable postseason run has any chance of continuing beyond Sunday.

“We want to play with a lead, but we didn’t even have a chance,” Phoenix’s Mikkel Boedker said. “They got a breakaway and came right back. … They’re a good team, and we know that, but the series isn’t over. We still have time to win it.”

Los Angeles largely dominated the first two games of the series in Glendale, outshooting the Coyotes 88-51 while winning by a combined 8-2. Phoenix had no more luck than Vancouver or St. Louis against the surprising No. 8 seeds, who finished two points behind the Pacific Division champion Coyotes in the regular season before steamrolling the West’s top two teams in a combined nine games.

“We’ll take a couple of days here and rest up, and what have we got to lose?” Phoenix coach Dave Tippett asked. “We’ll come here and play as hard as we can. We’ll give a real honest evaluation of who we are and how we got here.”

Phoenix played Game 3 without forward Martin Hanzal, who served a one-game suspension for boarding Brown in Game 3. Doan, who escaped suspension for his own hit, took up the job of agitating Brown, facewashing the Kings’ high-scoring captain with his glove during one scrum.

After Smith came up with several stellar saves during a scoreless first period, Keith Yandle slipped a long pass behind Mike Richards to Langkow, who beat Quick between the legs for his first goal of the postseason 1:03 into the second. Los Angeles hadn’t trailed since the first period of Game 1 in its second-round series with St. Louis 19 days ago.

Staples Center briefly fell silent, but reached full roar moments later when Brown found Kopitar with a long pass behind the Phoenix defense. The Slovenian star beat Smith with a backhand for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

The teams were even in goals and shots heading to the third period, but King quickly put Los Angeles ahead with the latest impressive play of his incredible first NHL playoff run. Moments after Smith made a spectacular point-blank save on Jarret Stoll, King collected the puck during a delayed penalty and wired a high shot past Smith’s glove into the top corner of the net.

“What a shot, and an even better look on his face when he saw where it went,” Stoll said.

Tippett didn’t love the call that created the delayed penalty.

“If I told you what I really thought (about the officiating), I think it would cost me a lot of money,” he said.

Phoenix responded to its deficit with more physical play in Game 3, although keeping most of it within legal limits after the borderline goonery of the Game 2 blowout. The Coyotes inserted enforcer Paul Bissonnette into their lineup for the first time since Game 4 of the opening round.

Game notes

The game was the first of six playoff contests in four days at Staples Center, where the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers will host back-to-back second-round playoff games this weekend. The Tour of California — the nation’s largest cycling race — also finishes outside the arena about 30 minutes before the puck drops on Game 4 Sunday. …Marc-Antoine Pouliot took Hanzal’s spot in the Coyotes’ lineup, and Bissonnette replaced Gilbert Brule. D Adrian Aucoin has missed the entire series with an injury. … The Kings have won seven straight road games, and they stuck with coach Darryl Sutter’s scheme to keep the road vibe at home by staying in a hotel across the street from Staples Center on Wednesday night. … USC QB Matt Barkley attended the game.

Source: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400264448

Mike Smith

#41 G
Phoenix Coyotes

2012 PLAYOFFS

• GP13
• GA28
• GAA2.02
• SA487
• SV459
• SV%.943

Source: http://espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/7907147/conn-smythe-candidates

Is there a bigger Oklahoma City Thunder fan on the planet right now than NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman?

The NHL is on the cusp of something it’s never had in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs – a New York vs. Los Angeles final. And boy, would it help to get the Lakers out of the picture as soon as possible.

The Rangers and Kings have met in the postseason once before, when the NHL ditched the traditional conference format to experiment with a league-wide seeding system back in 1981 (the 13^th seeded Rangers knocked off the fourth-seeded Kings in round one).  Three decades later, both are up 1-0 in their respective conference finals, blazing a path toward a bicoastal final that would crown the NHL’s breakthrough television playoff season –all games televised nationally on NBC and three sister stations – with a matchup of the country’s top two markets.

But while Bettman sweats out the grim possibility of a Phoenix-New Jersey final, it’s doubtful that he’s counting on New York-L.A. as some kind of panacea.  Both are baseball and basketball markets above all else. While the Knicks cooperated on the east coast by bowing out quickly against Miami, both the Lakers and Clippers are playing in the second round. It helps that both are underdogs – the Clippers are going up against the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs while the Lakers already got blasted in their first game at Oklahoma City.

Fan overlap is known to be generally minimal for hockey and hoops, but it grows during the playoffs as casual fans tend tune in to follow a local club making a strong championship run. As my colleague Mike Ozanian recently noted, the Kings are already one of the weakest T.V. ratings draws in the league. Getting the end of the winter season market to themselves would be a huge help, not only for ratings but for that big boost in local media exposure that can carry over to next season.

Of course, there’s also baseball. In New York, the Rangers were getting beaten by the Yankees during much of their second round series against the Capitals (though their opener against the Devils in the third round beat the Yankees-Orioles game the same night). The precise dates of the Stanley Cup Final games are yet to be determined (the schedule depends on the length of the conference finals). But it’s worth noting that the Yankees have appealing games scheduled in late May and early June against the Angels, Rays and Mets (can Kings-Rangers outdo Angels-Yankees in New York and L.A.? Maybe, but don’t count on it). The Mets and Dodgers also play the Phillies during the same period, while the Angles have a series with the powerful Texas Rangers.

A  New York-Los Angeles matchup would serve the NHL well, measured against its ratings-challenged past. But will enough fans pull away from the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, Angels and (possibly) the Lakers playing the Clippers in the Western Conference finals to make it a bonanza for the league?  Unlikely.  Best for the NHL to take what it can from it, and hope for a Boston-Detroit final next year.

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Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomvanriper/2012/05/16/a-new-york-l-a-final-no-boon-for-nhl/

By Cassie McClellan

– Staff Writer

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Finalists for the NHL regular season awards have been announced. Here descriptions of some of the awards.

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Like SB Nation Seattle on Facebook.

May 17, 2012 – First off, I would like to thank my friend LW3H for giving me permission to plagiarize his awards post. His post is much more entertaining than this is, and is much more about the finalists, and deserves some love for all of the hard work and time that he put into it. You can read it on his blog, Springing Malik: NHL Awards 2011/12 – meet the contenders. (You can also follow him on Twitter at @LW3H – he’s a New York Rangers fan from England.)

The NHL loves its shiny silver trophies, doesn’t it? The Stanley Cup isn’t the only piece of hardware that’s been passed around for a long, long time. Many of the trophies have been around for decades as well.

The most controversial of them all is perhaps the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. It’s been around since 1925, and so its description isn’t as many as some might like. It’s a sportmanship trophy, which is fine, but it’s named after a woman and the description includes “gentlemanly conduct”. The controversy stems from the fact that players are rather embarrassed to receive it, because of those two facts.

The award that most players would be distinctly honored to get is not listed here, and that is the Ted Lindsay Award. It’s similar to the Hart Memorial Trophy in that it goes to the Most Valuable Player. The different is that the Hart is voted on by the print media, while the Lindsay is voted on by the members of the Players Association.

The following is a list of awards that are voted on, along with the current finalists. There are a number of NHL trophies that are performance-based, such as top teams in each conference or the top goal scorer, and are therefore awarded automatically when the regular season has been completed. The following list does not include those trophies, nor post-season awards. To see the full list of NHL hardware, please visit the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Silverware page, or see Wikipedia’s List of NHL Awards.

Winners will be announced at the NHL Awards Show, 20 June, at the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hart Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The player adjudged most valuable to his team, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Normally awarded to: The player with the most points and/or who happened to get hot in the last month of the season.

Finalists: Goalie Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers), winger Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins), and center Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning).

James Norris Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Normally awarded to: The defenseman who scores the most points, or is mentioned the most in the media.

Finalists: Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins), Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators), and Shea Weber (Nashville Predators).

Vezina Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The goaltender who is adjudged to be the best at this position, as voted by the general managers of all the teams in the NHL.

Normally awarded to: The hottest goaltender in the last month or two of the season, regardless of previous season(s) performance.

Finalists: Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers), Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings), and Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators)

Calder Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Normally awarded to: The player selected as the most proficient in what might be his third partial year of competition in the National Hockey League, after what might be one or several years of competition in another professional league, and providing that said player is 26 years old or younger.

Finalists: Adam Henrique (New Jersey Devils), Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers)

Frank J. Selke Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Normally awarded to: The forward who somewhat excels in the defensive aspects of the game while having the offensive ability to score at least 50 points.

Finalists: David Backes (St. Louis Blues), Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins), and Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings)

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Normally awarded to: The player who missed the most games through injury the season before – the more horrific the injury or the more games missed, the better.

Finalists: Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa Senators), Joffrey Lupul (Toronto Maple Leafs), and Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens)

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Normally awarded to: The player having the fewest penalty minutes when the voters quickly skim down the list of top 20 scorers in the league five minutes before the deadline to send in their ballot.

Finalists: Brian Campbell (Florida Panthers), Jordan Eberle (Edmonton Oilers), and Matt Moulson (New York Islanders).

Jack Adams Award

Supposed to be awarded to: The coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success, as voted on by the National Hockey League Broadcasters Association.

Normally awarded to: The coach taking over a team in which his predecessor had been tuned out by the players, and thus having significantly more success due to the fact that his players actually listen to him, unlike that other guy – oh, and their team is pretty high in the standing for the last month of the season, too.

Finalists: Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis Blues), Paul MacLean (Ottawa Senators), and John Tortorella (New York Rangers).

General Manager of the Year Award

Supposed to be awarded to: The top National Hockey League general manager, as voted by a 40-member panel that included all 30 general managers, five NHL executives, and five media members.

Normally awarded to: The general manager who fires the previous head coach that had been tuned out by the players and replaces him with a new head coach that’s significantly more successful due to the fact that the players actually listen to him, unlike that other guy.

Finalists: Doug Armstrong (St. Louis Blues), David Poile (Nashville), and Dale Tallon (Florida Panthers).

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Source: http://seattle.sbnation.com/2012/5/17/3026679/frozen-grounds-nhl-trophies-and-awards

After its last lockout in 2004-05, the NHL had to work to smooth things over with its paying customers. (Charles Krupa/AP Photos)

You probably don’t want to read this any more than I want to write it, but the momentum of the Stanley Cup playoffs hit a speed bump on Wednesday when word got out that the NHL had formally notified the NHLPA that it intends to change and/or end the current collective bargaining agreement. If the worst-case scenario results, if the owners eventually decide to lock out the players next fall, this formal notification will go down as the first shot in hockey’s next labor war.

Just what another lockout would do to the NHL, its relationship with its fans and  business partners — not to mention the players — can only be speculated upon. But no one needs to consult ancient hockey history books to recall what the lockout of 2004-05 did and the extent to which the league had to go to repair the damage.  How well the NHL eventually rebounded is a great tribute to everyone connected with the game, but squandering all gain just seven years later and plunging us into darkness again greatly risks a different outcome this time.

It’s far from a sure thing how the game’s labor relations will play out. The two sides have yet to begin negotiating the new agreement, but the owners are obligated under the terms of the current CBA to notify the players 120 days before its expiration if they want to make changes or terminate it. No one is exactly sure what the owners want to change or how difficult it will be to achieve their desires through negotiation.

But this much is clear: The overall economic health of the NHL can hardly be an issue, with the league projecting record revenues of $3.2 billion by the end of the playoffs, an increase of 18 percent in a flat economy that was achieved under the model the league locked out the players in order to implement. Since the last lockout ended, the NHL’s revenue has nearly tripled. If, as some believe, the owners will seek a larger share of that revenue than they currently pull in, that could very well cause problems next September when the current CBA expires.

According to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Daily, the NHLPA had no problems with the current agreement and had no intention of notifying the league it wanted changes, so this is being done unilaterally by ownership.

This current CBA ended the lockout, the second in NHL history, that cancelled the entire 2004-05 season. The main issue was the imposition of the salary cap by ownership, to which the players capitulated after losing the season. The fact that the NHLPA did not wish to change the current agreement means that the players under Donald Fehr — who always fought against the cap when he headed Major League Baseball’s players union and advised the NHLPA against agreeing to one — now feels players can live with it in its current form. There’s good reason for that:  the salary cap rose from $39 million in 2005-06 to $64.3 million this season, so the players are doing as well as the owners. That is how the system of owner-player partnership was envisioned to work.

There has been widespread speculation over the last year that the owners’ proposals could include matters as relatively small as allowing clubs to buy their way out of a bad contract without having it count against the cap, and as large as the share of revenue the players receive from the NHL-NHLPA partnership.

Prior to the lockout, the league claimed that player salaries ate up as much as 75 percent of revenues. Since the lockout, they’ve been  fixed at around 57 percent. Within the last year, NFL owners locked out the players, who eventually accepted 48 to 49.5 per cent of revenues. NBA players lost nearly half a season before agreeing to a 50-50 split.

Don Fehr’s brother Steve, an outside counsel for the NHLPA, told Mullen earlier this week that the players will not agree to any further reduction of their share, saying, “I think it is fair to say that if the approach is what many are predicting, that the owners come in and say we have to shave 5, 10, 15, 25, 30 – pick a number – points off the percentage of revenues in the cap that players receive, there may be a lot of players who say: ‘Wait a minute, we already gave at the office.’

“We made massive concessions last time that were designed to fix your so-called problems. If it has not fixed your so-called problems, we need to have a long, hard discussion about what those problems are and what we should do about it.”

Steve Fehr added that he did not know if NHL owners would mimic their counterparts in the NBA and NFL  by asking players to take a reduced cut, or if they would follow the route of MLB owners, who did not seek major economic concessions and reached a labor deal without a lockout last year.

“If, on the other hand, there is more of an approach that was taken by MLB, it may be a quick and easy negotiation,” Fehr said. “That is actually what Gary Bettman has said, that he expects a quick and easy negotiation and he probably knows more about it than I do, so perhaps that is the direction it will take.”

Back in November, we examined the thoughts of Forbes magazine’s Michael Ozanian, who believed that the owners would push for a larger share of revenue in these negotiations. Ozanian stated that while franchise values have risen around 47 percent since the lockout, too many clubs still lose money. “The NHL must move much closer to the 48 percent model the NFL agreed to before this season or the 50-50 revenue split National Basketball Association’s owners and players recently agreed to,” he wrote.

But Ozanian doesn’t consider that, unlike those leagues, NHL owners do not share enough of their own record-breaking revenue among themselves to offset the problem. The NFL and the NBA owners share a good deal of their revenue. As we wrote back in November, “Under current NHL revenue sharing rules, clubs in bigger TV markets (more than 2.5 million TV households) cannot receive any assistance from the league whatsoever, nor can any of the top 15 revenue-earning teams. So if Forbes’ figures are correct, at least seven teams that lost money last year do not qualify for any revenue sharing money under the current CBA. They include the Islanders, Devils, Ducks, Kings, Sharks and Stars, who are in big TV markets that make them ineligible. And the Wild, who supposedly lost money but are not in the bottom 15 revenue producing teams, can’t get any help either.”

If Ozanian is right and the owners want to shift the inequities of their own revenue generating machinery onto the players without first making changes to those rules, that could cause some serious problems.

If Renaud Lavoie of RDS is right, someone is already planning for a work stoppage. He blogged on Wednesday that, “From what I understand, the worst case scenario would be: start the season later than January 1 or for the Winter Classic to be held at the stadium in Michigan, between the Leafs and Red Wings.”

Ugh.

The first NHL lockout, in 1994, came at a very interesting time: after the Rangers’ first Stanley Cup championship in 54 years and the first full season of Gary Bettman’s reign as commissioner. The league had begun making some big strides in public perception after a 15-year period in which it had fallen far behind the NBA in popularity. Bettman had begun revamping the league’s business footing and the games had returned to network TV for the first time in almost 20 years. The moment is remembered for the provocative Sports Illustrated cover in June 1994 that proclaimed, “Why the NHL’s hot and the NBA’s not” (and the story that stated the case). That September, all the momentum generated by the NHL the previous spring vanished when the season didn’t start, and it has taken since that time to return to the previous plateau.

During that lockout and the one that followed 10 years later, the NHL claimed that the settlement would fix its broken business. That certainly wasn’t true in 1995, after which salaries skyrocketed as owners could not control their spending. The league claimed by 2004 that 75 percent of revenue went to player contracts. The institution of a salary cap, accompanied by a 24 percent pay slash was designed to achieve cost certainty for the owners and allow the business to grow. Well, they were right. It has.

In the pre-Bettman era, the conservative NHL was said to operate by the motto, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Now one wonders if the new motto might become, “If it ain’t broke, break it.”

Now here’s Fontella a few decades later, reprising her role on British TV, but this time, instead of Bobby McClure, her foil is Lyle Lovett.

Good songs never die, and here’s the most recent version by the very talented Bostonian Eli “Paperboy’ Reed and the great vocal trio from Girona, Spain, the Pepper Pots.

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Source: http://nhl-red-light.si.com/2012/05/17/does-the-nhls-cba-notice-mean-another-lockout/?section=si_latest