Rene Bourque is expected to bring some "heart" to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
FLOATERS SHIPPED OUT
CANADIAN HEART BROUGHT IN
Damien Cox
Record: 0-4-1
After getting off to one of the worst starts in franchise history it was quite clear that the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to make some significant moves to right the ship quickly. The Toronto forward core has shown a lack of drive and heart to score goals and produce game-winning goals. "Were simply not acting like a cohesive unit" said head coach Ron Wilson - and this is quite clear by their 12 goals for in five games played. So today, general manager Brian Burke struck a deal with the Calgary Flames to send disgruntled forwards Alexei Ponikarovsky and Lee Stempniak to Calgary in exchange for Rene Bourque and Curtis Glencross. " I wish the best to both Alexei (Ponikarovsky) and Lee (Stempniak), but they simply were not in the teams plans moving forward" said Burke, "They showed a lack of drive and willingness to go to the net and we will simply no longer tolerate this lack of passion for the game". With this move Toronto rids themselves of two floaters but there are still many players on the team that need to pick up the slack such as sophmore Mikhail Grabovski and veteran Jason Blake. "If this work ethic continues from the players remaining then there are eager players on the Marlies who will be willing to take their positions" - this may hint at the possibility of collegiate stars Tyler Bozak and Christian Hanson making their regular season debuts after being sent to the Marlies even though they had quite the strong preseason.
Curtis Glencross, LW
Rene Bourque, LW
Alexei Ponikarovsky, LW
Lee Stempniak, RW
The Maple Leafs will be their next game on the road against the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche are a team that have stunned many analysts with such a solid start to the season when they were expected to be a bottom dweller this season. "We simply have to get a win here, I expect 100% effort from our team" said Ron Wilson. After allowing seven goals against the New York Rangers, goaltender Vesa Toskala will sit on the bench while Joey MacDonald will get the start. Jason Blake is expected to be the healthy scratch while Viktor Stalberg returns to the lineup after being out two games from his hit against Ottawa's Anton Volchenkov.
Viktor Stalberg - Matt Stajan - Phil Kessel
Niklas Hagman - Mikhail Grabovski - Nikolai Kulemin
Curtis Glencross - John Mitchell - Rene Bourque
Colton Orr - Rickard Wallin - Jamal Mayers
ex. Jason Blake
Tomas Kaberle - Mike Komisarek
Francois Beauchemin - Luke Schenn
Ian White - Jeff Finger
ex. Garnet Exelby
Joey MacDonald
Vesa Toskala
IR Jonas Gustavsson, Mike Van Ryn, Wayne Primeau
Did your season actually start identical to the Leafs?
To Philadelphia: Kyle Turris
To Phoenix: Oskars Bartulis and Josh Beaulieu
GM Dan Donnelly has made his first trade as the GM of the Philadelphia Flyers. After Thursday's loss to Pittsburgh in Overtime Donnelly checked his cell phone and sure enough their was a phone call from Phoenix's GM asking if Philly was interested in a deal. The Coyotes asked for Oskars Bartulis and Josh Beaulieu of the Adirondack Phantoms in return for the former 3rd overall pick. This is something that Philadelphia could not pass up. Philly now has the 2nd and 3rd overall picks from 2007. "It's great to have Kyle here, its sad to see Oskars and Josh leave but when you're getting a player of Kyle's calibre you can't pass it up."-Philadelphia's GM said during the press conference to announce the deal. "It's good to have Kyle on this team. We added a good player and its pretty ironic that we went 2-3 in 2007. I look forward to skating out there with him and maybe we can have a competition to see who really deserved to go #2." James van Riemsdyk joked at his locker after finding out about the deal. Turris will patrol the 3rd line left wing along side Claude Giroux and Danny Briere. "I'm ecstatic to be coming to Philly. It's a great hockey town and just all around great city. I can't wait to get on the ice with the boys and get some chemistry going." Turris said. When van Riemsdyk and Turris met in Philadelphia a news reporter handed the two of them a picture of Turris and JVR at the Draft. The two responded saying "Now lets get the guy in the middle (Patrick Kane)."
ATLANTA THRASHERS BECOME THE KANSAS CITY KNIGHTS
KANSAS CITY JOINS CENTRAL DIVISION : NASHVILLE MOVES TO SOUTHEAST
Many in the NHL new that there were quite a few teams on the slide down and many are on the market to be purchased. Ownership in Florida is still up in the air. The circus that is Phoenix, even with a team on the rise, is in the air, and Atlanta are just a few. So many expected one of these teams would get purchased and likely relocated. I don't think anyone expects the first one to be the Thrashers.
When the Atlanta Thrashers became for sale, Kansas billionaire, Charles Koch made a bid for the team. He was awarded the team, and after many discussions with Gary Bettman, the team has been moved from Atlanta to Kansas City.
When the Thrashers joined the league in 1999-2000, many expected the team to succeed. After drafting Patrik Stefan 1st overall and Luke Sellars 13th overall, many expected the team to have a bright future in the National Hockey League. But past the 2009 season, only one player picked in that draft, 11th round pick, Garnet Exelby, still plays in the NHL.
They've made the playoffs one time in their existence, in the 2006-07 season. Lead by Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovlachuk, the Thrashers moved into their first ever post season.
However, they were eliminated from the playoffs on April 18, being swept by the New York Rangers in four straight games in the Quarterfinals.
The teams struggled after that season, eventually trading away star Marian Hossa with Pascal Dupuis for forward Colby Armstrong, Erik Christisen, prospect Angelo Esposito, and a first round pick (Daultan Leveille).
The team tried to improve in the 2008-09 offseason, signing Nik Antropov, Maxim Afinogenov, and trading for Pavel Kubina.
Sadly that wasn't enough for the team to stay in Atlanta.
______________________________________
THE KANSAS CITY KNIGHTS NEW MANAGEMENT FOR A NEW START
When the team moved to Kansas city, Koch opted to fire Don Waddell, the teams GM and hire a relatively unknown in Aiden Jace as the new GM. Jace let it be known that this team will be going a major reconstruction and a rebuild was a must for the team to truly mature and become a team that will challenge for the playoffs.
He said that players will be traded. Kovalchuk, Kozlov, Kubina, White, Antropov, Afinogenov, are all names that could be traded.
Most moves will be made before the season starts and at this point, no ones job is safe in Kansas City.
Koch and Jace hope to bring this franchise from it's ashes with a rebuild, the right way.
Expect roster movement galore from this rebuilding franchise. This is one team you'll want to pay attention to this offseason.
KNIGHTS MAKE FIRST MOVE : ACQUIRE LASHOFF, DOWNIE, 1ST
Steve Downie will finally get his chance to shine here in Kansas City.
Aiden Jace made his first move as the new GM of the newly founded Kansas City Knights.
Jace acquire youngsters Downie, Lashoff, and a first round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forwards Maxim Afinogenov and Bryan Little.
"We let people know what we wanted. We got a call from Tampa, and that's what they offered. Believe you me, we were hesitant dealing Little. He could have been a strong piece for the rebuild, but gaining what we did, it's a wise move for us in the future." Jace said.
The Knights are shopping Ilya Kovalchuk and word is the Toronto Mapleleafs are in the running for him. But I wouldn't count out Colorado, Edmonton, or the Islanders at this point.
The Knights acquire Vrbata, Tikhonov, and Montoya from the Coyotes.
The Knights continue to shake things up as they send Slava Kozlov and Kari Lehtonen to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Radim Vrbata, Viktor Tikhonov, and Al Montoya.
"We get younger and we get depth." Aiden Jace, Knights GM said.
"Vrbata will add veteran depth while acquiring a strong, two-way prospects in Tikhonov and an up and coming goaltender."
Montoya could be relied on to take the reigns this season if Johan Hedberg cannot carry the load. It's expected that Ondrej Pavelec will be traded as well.
Last edited by Randall Ritchey: 10-14-2009 at 12:40 PM.
KNIGHTS ACQUIRE LAAKSO AND HORNQVIST FROM PREDS
Jimmy Slater, Todd White, and Nik Antropov are off to Nashville.
Aiden Jace isn't wasting anytime putting together a solid prospect pool. He's really making the Knights future brighter with the deals he's making, but the trades will handicap this team for a while until these prospects are ready.
"I will be the first to tell you, the first few years here in Kansas City are going to be long ones." Jace told reporters.
"We're not going to come in here and win 40 games. We are rebuilding and we are going to struggle. But in the next five years, when our prospects group thickens, we'll be one of the strongest in the NHL in terms of youth, if not the strongest with a young core.
I'm not going to candy coat anything. I'm going to tell it straight. I'll make friends and enemies that way, but it's my style and I'm not going to change that. I'm blunt and to the point. It's just how things are."
Kyle Turris Shines In Debut; King Henrik Shuts The Door
Kyle Turris made his Philadelphia Flyers debut tonight against division rival, New York Rangers. After two days of practice Turris was promoted to the first line to play along with Jeff Carter and Scott Hartnell.
Turris got the welcome to the Atlantic Division in the first 5 minutes when Marc Staal shoved Kyle to the ice as Turris tried to deke by him. The Rangers picked up the puck that was dropped and skated it down the ice and found the back of the net. Turris hung his head for a moment but from that moment on Turris played like a man possessed. Although the new player did not net any points he made several spectacular defensive plays, beautiful passes, and nearly goal scoring shots.
"It felt good to get out there with the new guys. Obviously it wasn't the result we wanted but we played a good game. This is a great group of guys and we're just going to take it one game at a time." Turris said afterwards.
"Lundqvist played great tonight. I can't say enough about the guy but we have to expect that in the division we play with, having goalies like Fleury,Brodeur,Lundy,Rick,and of course Ray here. We really have to work harder in the offensive zone to get the goalie moving side to side and taking less point shots." Captain Mike Richards said after the game.
Philadelphia outshot New York 27-15 yet could not find a way to beat Lundqvist. The Flyers lost their second consecutive game to a division foe. Philadelphia now holds a 23-7-4 record which is still good enough for 1st in the Conference.
KOVALCHUK IS OFF TO TORONTO
Bozak, Stempniak, Mitchell and a 1st back to the Knights
It's done. Ilya Kovalchuk is now a Toronto Mapleleaf. The Knights traded Kovlachuk, Eric Boulton, Brett Sterling, and Ondrej Pavelec to Toronto in exchange for John Mitchell, Tyler Bozak, Lee Stempniak, and a first round pick.
"It was very hard trading Ilya. But we knew, in the long run, we'll be better off with the deal we've landed.
The key peices of this deal were Bozak and the first. Bozak is a great talent and is going to be a star in this league for many years to come. Adding that extra first round pick for this years draft is a huge. This is going to be a very deep draft and adding now our third first round pick is huge for organization.
Adding Lee Stempniak is a nice addition. He's a top six forward who can score goals. Something we'll likely lack this season. He's got grit to his game as well, he'll do well in our system.
We also feel that adding John Mitchell could do wonders as well. Mitchell is very underrated in our eyes and we feel that he's going to prove a lot of people that we are right in our assumption about him this season."
We are almost assembling our roster with the season just a few days away."
Hey TML just wanted to let you know if you want your dynasty as realistic as possible. Toskala is out with an injured leg and they called up James Reimer to back up Joey Mac.
Btw great move for Borque, wish the Leafs would get him in real life.
MACARTHUR AND KALETA ARE NOW KNIGHTS
Anthony Stewart, Marty Reasoner, and Eric Perrin are now Sabres.
The Knights have rounded out their roster today by making three deals. The first deal involved sending Eric Perrin, Marty Reasoner, and Anthony Steward to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Clarke MacArthur and Patrick Kaleta.
The Knights feel MacArthur and Kaleta could be key pieces moving forward in their organization.
The second deal sent Ron Hainsey to the New York Islander in exchange for Rob Schremp.
Schremp who was claimed off of waivers by the Islanders will likely center the top line in between Radim Vrbata and Colby Armstrong.
The third deal sent Boris Valabik, Noah Welch, and Anssi Salmela to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Brent Sopel.
This third deal was all about moving bodies. The Knights had an over abundance of bodies in the back end and needed to add another veteran to their roster as well.
KNIGHTS OFFSEASON DEALS
[KCK/TBL] M.AFINOGENOV + B.LITTLE FOR S.DOWNIE + M.LASHOFF + 1ST
[KCK/PHX] V.KOZLOV + K.LEHTONEN FOR R.VRBATA + V.TIKHONOV + A.MONTOYA
[KCK/NAS] J.SLATER + T.WHITE + N.ANTROPOV FOR P.HORNQVIST + T.LAAKSO
[KCK/TOR] I.KOVALCHUK + E.BOULTON + O.PAVELEC + B.STERLING FOR T.BOZAK + L.STEMPNIAK + J.MITCHELL + 1ST
[KCK/BUF] A.STEWART + M.REASONER + E.PERRIN FOR C.MACARTHUR + P.KALETA
[KCK/NYI]R.HAINSEY FOR R.SCHREMP
[KCK/CHI]B.VALABIK + A.SALMELA + N.WELCH FOR B.SOPEL
FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
D.FRITCHE - 1 YEAR - .700K
P.SEJNA - 1 YEAR - .800K
J.BACASHIUA - 1 YEAR - .700K
Over the past few year, the Calgary Flames have been plagued by inconsistent play and the inability to deliver 60-minute efforts.
Tonight, they found a way to avoid that. And it paid off.
Dion Phaneuf's goal with 1:29 left in the third period proved to be the winner as the Flames finished off the Washington Capitals in five games, prevailing 3-2 in the Cup-clinching contest.
Jarome Iginla got the scoring started off early in the first period when, at 7:47, he one-timed a pass from line mate Daymond Langkow past Caps goalie Andy Chiodo for a 1-0 lead. The Flames doubled their lead at 9:43 of the second period when Rene Bourque tipped a Mark Giordano point shot through the legs of Chiodo. Washington would tie the contest quickly however, striking twice in 11 seconds three minutes later on goals from Alex Semin and Alex Ovechkin.
Miikka Kiprusoff was superb, stopping 26 of 28 shots, including 12 in the third period and 5 great chances in the final minute while under serious pressure from the Capitals. Chiodo made 21 saves for Washington.
"I can't believe it," said Iginla after the game. "The guys in this room really came through, we did it, I'm still in shock. As soon as that buzzer went off, the whole building exploded. It's never been that loud. I just can't believe we've actually done it."
Fan favorite Eric Nystrom also offered up his view.
"This is what you dream of as a kid, you know? As a kid I watched my dad play for the Islanders and win it there and think 'I wish I could do that some day' and for it to actually happen is just incredible. I'm really proud of the guys in this room."
Langkow led the team with 25 points in 25 games, followed closely by Iginla (22), David Moss (19), Nigel Dawes (18), and Bourque (17).
Conn Smythe winner Kiprusoff paced the league in all categories, posting a 2.15 GAA and 0.910 save %.
All members of the Washington Capitals were unavailable for comment.
With the team's first Stanley Cup in 20 years, the Calgary Flames head into the off season optimistic that they can do it again.
-------------
Abbotsford Report
In addition to the Calgary Flames winning the Stanley Cup, their AHL affiliate also beat out the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in six games to take home the Calder Cup! Mikael Backlund scored the overtime winner 1:56 into the extra period.
GM Dan Brown earns another year to prove that this year wasn't a fluke, although he receives massive praise for managing the organization in such a way that both the NHL and AHL teams came out on top.
The Calgary Flames were sad to say goodbye to veteran Craig Conroy who retired at the age of 38. Conroy spent seven seasons with Calgary. In his career, he amassed 194 goals and 554 points in 1010 NHL games.
NHL Entry Draft
The Flames enter the draft as the 30th overall pick. GM Dan Brown announced that Olli Jokinen was on the trading block, as he was destined to be a UFA on July 1st and the Flames had doubts about resigning him.
Round 1: RW Axel Christoff
Round 2: D Steven Pederson
Round 3: D Mathieu Lachance (acquired from ATL)
Round 3: G Ric Sumal
Round 4: D Derrick Smith (acquired from ATL)
Round 4: RW Taylor Drake
Round 5: C Chris Byrne
Resigning Phase
C Dustin Boyd: 1 year/1-way, $1.100M
C Brett Sutter: 2 years/2-way, $0.500M
C Brandon Prust: 1 year/2-way, $0.550M
LW Jason Jaffray: 2 years/2-way, $0.575M
LW Cam Cunning: 1 year/2-way, $0.600M
LW Rene Bourque: 1 year/1-way, $1.100M
D Matt Pelech: 1 year/1-way, $1.625M
G Matt Keetley: 2 years/2-way, $0.575M
Free Agency
The Flames are looking for a top-line LW but with just $5.375M to work with, it may be difficult.
C Tuomo Ruutu: 2 years/1-way, $3.400M
C Gilbert Brule: 3 years/1-way, $1.725M
Kiwi- You definitely should bring Rizer back. Thanks to you and MS I'm likely to do something along those lines, but it will be my 2012-2013 year in which I give up a boatload for 1st ovr or even a fifth rounder to get my created player.
Edit- I think I'll call him Philipe Desjardins former star of the Vancouver Giants, left wing, big guy that can control a game a la Lindros. From Southern California.
Foot In The Door: Arnott Signs With Preds, Assigned to Milwaukee
A highly disruptive celebration broke out in the Predators locker room last Saturday at the Jobing.com Arena in Phoenix after the game when former captain Jason Arnott walked in.
“Hey guys, I’m just here to ask you to keep it down, they can hear you out on the street,” he said before being bear-hugged by defenseman Shea Weber.
The 36-year-old center signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Predators on Saturday night. The Predators immediately assigned him to the Milwaukee Admirals: since Arnott has not played any games this season, he does not need to clear waivers to be assigned. The Collingwood, Ontario, native posted 177 goals and 377 points in 380 games with the Predators from 2006 to 2011.
“David [Poile] and I had a long talk about that,” said Arnott. “They want me in Milwaukee to get my timing back, and I’ll report. The game plan is to be in Nashville by January.”
Arnott was glad to be back with his teammates.
“I was surprised with the reception I got, to be honest,” he said. “I figured the guys had moved on, judging by the way they’re playing right now. It feels good to be back among friends, though.”
But the veteran power forward said this was not an open and shut decision.
“I had no intention of playing anywhere other than the Nashville organization, but I gave it a lot of thought,” he said. “I wasn’t sure I could still play, and I didn’t want to go out the way a lot of guys do; old, broken, essentially useless to their team in their last years. I got back on the ice a few weeks ago with some of the [Predators players], and I still had the speed and the skill, and I knew then I wanted to come back and play.”
The former Art Ross winner will play his first game with the Milwaukee Admirals against the San Antonio Rampage. The Predators are providing a free stream of the game on their team website.
Prospect Bio: Estonia's Most Wanted
What's better than a skilled Estonian? How about a big, mean, fast, skilled Estonian who single-handedly made his home country a mainstay in the Division I World Championships and has the experience of players ten years his senior?
That's exactly what Viktor Kondratiev is, and it's a big part of why he's tearing up the American Hockey League.
"I'm always looking to hit somebody," said the 22-year-old Rakvere native. "It's just fun. The only thing I take more pleasure in than hitting people is scoring goals."
He's doing a lot of both with the Admirals. Through eight games, Kondratiev has three goals and eleven points, as well as an impressive thirteen hits. At 6'1" and 194 pounds, "VK" may not be the most physically imposing player, but he says it's not about the size: it's about how you use it.
"You don't have to be big to be able to hit people," said the rookie winger. "You have to be strong, and preferably fast. Look at [Predators forward] Jordin Tootoo. He's not even 5'10", but when he hits you, it's like getting hit by a train: fast, hard, painful, leaves nothing standing."
Kondratiev said the first thing he learned playing hockey was to defend himself.
"I grew up in a fairly small town, so if I wanted to play hockey, I had to go to Russia," he said. "The other kids were all Russian and picked on me a lot because of where I was from. I got kicked out of my first hockey camp when I jumped a guy. That's when I learned that the best way to deliver payback wasn't with my fists, it was with my shoulders. So I would basically buzz around the ice, scoring goals and looking to hit people for the next five years. That's what got me into the Estonian national league with my club team [Narva PSK], and that's how I earned my debut with the [Estonian] national team."
And what a debut it was. Estonia, a team sorely lacking young talent and teetering on the verge of relegation from Division II in the World Championships, called on Kondratiev in 2004, at just 15 years old. The young winger scored eight goals, fourteen points, and got ejected from two of his five matches. Estonia finished second, but Kondratiev was named tournament MVP and gained international recognition for his performance.
"The World Championships were a big learning experience for me," he said. "I realized that I needed to be at least proficient at defense if I wanted to keep going forward with my hockey career. So I spent the next season in the Estonian national league working on my defense."
Kondratiev spent the season with Narva PSK, collecting a league-record 47 goals and 81 points in just 30 games, while earning player of the year honors and another trip to the World Championships. But things were different this time.
"My coaches wanted to know where I had learned to play defense," he said, smiling.
Kondratiev would post even better numbers in Division II this time around, notching eleven goals and a whopping twenty points, earning top player honors and promoting Estonia to Division I. His performance also earned him a contract with Karpat Oulu in Finland for the next two seasons, where he would put up a total of 33 goals and 71 points over 110 games. At that point, Kondratiev had become a star in Europe, and was ready to be drafted.
But he wasn't.
"I was passed over in two separate years," he said. "I was kind of confused. I had always wanted to play in the NHL, and I didn't really understand why teams weren't interested. I took it to mean I needed to work harder."
Kondratiev went on to record the best season ever for any Estonian player in any league: 40 goals and 86 points with Karpat in the Finnish elite league.
"They started paying attention after that," he said playfully.
Kondratiev went second overall in 2009 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but never played a single game for the club.
"That was another weird situation," he said. "I tried to contact them and they never responded."
The Bolts, as many may remember, had a big scandal revealed after the 2009 draft in which Len Barrie had supposedly been coercing players into contracts. The Bolts were required to forfeit all of their 2009 draft picks' rights. Kondratiev stayed in Finland, and became a free agent in 2011, when the Predators came calling with an entry-level contract.
"They said, 'If you're willing to spend some time with our minor league club, we'll give you a shot at the NHL.' Who could say no to that?"
But like many European prospects, the lure of big contracts in Sweden and Russia are constantly there.
"I keep getting calls from clubs in Russia that want to pay me ridiculous amounts of money to come and play there," he said. "After all I've been through in Russia, I have no interest in playing there professionally. I'd go into more detail, but I'm not sure you could use it in print."
Career Stats
Season
Club
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
2003-04
Narva PSK (EST)
14
11
7
18
2004-05
Narva PSK
30
47
34
81
2005-06
Karpat Oulu (FIN)
55
10
15
25
2006-07
Karpat Oulu
55
23
29
52
2007-08
Karpat Oulu
45
18
28
46
2008-09
Karpat Oulu
55
40
46
86
2009-10
Karpat Oulu
35
25
23
48
2010-11
Karpat Oulu
55
35
42
77
2011-12*
Milwaukee Admirals
10
3
8
11
*Season In Progress
Career Awards
Season
Award
2003-04
Young Player of the Year (EST)
2004
All Tournament Team, Division II World Championships
2004-05
Player of the Year (EST); Top Goal Scorer (EST); Top Point Scorer (EST)
2005
Division II Gold Medal; Division II All Tournament Team; Division II leading goal scorer
2005-06
Rookie of the Year (FIN)
2006
All Tournament Team, Division I World Championships
2007
Silver Medal, Division I; All Tournament Team, Division I; Leading Goal Scorer, Division I
2008
Bronze Medal, Division I; All Tournament Team, Division I
2008-09
Best Player (as voted by players) (FIN); Top Goal Scorer (FIN); Top Point Scorer (FIN); Most Valuable Player (FIN); SM-Liiga Champions (FIN)
2009
Gold Medal, Division I; All Tournament Team, Division I; Top Goal Scorer, Division I; Top Point Scorer, Division I; Drafted 2nd Overall by Tampa Bay Lightning
2010-11
Top Goal Scorer (FIN); Most Valuable Player (FIN); SM-Liiga Champions (FIN)
2011
Silver Medal, Division I World Championships; All Tournament Team, Division I; Leading Goal Scorer, Division I; Leading Point Scorer, Division I
Last edited by worstfaceoffmanever: 10-14-2009 at 05:12 AM.
Reason: Added Prospect Bio
As the Quebec Jackals get off to a 6-0-1 start to the 2011-12 season one question is always brought up, can Tom Vause break the record for points in a regular season? Last year we saw the third-year superstar score 93 goals to break perhaps the hardest of the Great One's many records, but others would argue the toughest is yet to be conquered.
"I think you have to take things in perspective," hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey said. "A player would have to score at over two and a half points a game, over an 82 game schedule. Listing the players able to accomplish such a feat would only bring up one name, and that's Vause. But it's mindboggling how good a season he'd have to have."
After seven games, Vause has put up 6 goals and 17 points.
"Ahh, I'm not sure about that yet," joked Vause. "Its something that's crossed my mind a couple of times but right now I need to concentrate on helping my team build on last year. But its something every kid dreams about, so not sure why a 20-year-old athlete can't either."
It's that cool head that is perhaps Vause's most prized asset. Forget the dazzling playmaking abilities, breathtaking shot and a hockey IQ beyond the chart to go with it, its his mindset that his coach, Peter DeBoer, says does him the most favours.
"He's able to have that edge over oposition," he said. "He's still a kid to a lot of people, but inside there's a pretty big competitor."
Last edited by Michael Scofield: 10-14-2009 at 06:16 AM.
GOAL SCORERS QUE: Vause, T. (0:36 in 1st);
Vause, T. (PPG, 3:15 in 1st); Hrdina, M. (7:34 in 1st);
Hrdina, M. (PPG, 15:48 in 1st); Hrdina, M. (2:36 in 2nd);
Hrdina, M. (17:58 in 2nd); Cheechoo, J. (19:06 in 2nd);
Cheechoo, J. (PPG, 5:54 in 3rd);
Cheechoo, J. (11:27 in 3rd);
Cheechoo, J. (16:06 in 3rd)
MIN:
Mancari, M. (6:22 in 2nd); Weiss, S. (10:02 in 2nd);
Holmstrom, T. (PPG, 14:56 in 2nd);
Morrow, B. (PPG, 14:21 in 3rd)
ST PAUL, MN. - Tom Vause had an intimidating message for the rest of the NHL.
"I don't think we hit our peak yet," he said after Quebec's 10-4 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. "I think we can get better."
Martin Hrdina and Jonathan Cheechoo each scored four goals, and Vause added two more for the Jackals, who won for the seventh time in 9 games and remain unbeaten in regulation. They are off to their best start as a franchise since entering the league as an expansion team in 1993.
Vause tied a league record with his twentyseventh point in his first nine games of the season. It was the first career four-goal game for Hrdina, and the third time a week a Jackals player has scored four times. Vause had four goals in an 6-1 win over Ottawa last Saturday.
"When we play good as a team, good things happen for individuals as well," Cheechoo said. "We got a lot of good breaks tonight and put them away."
It was also the first time in franchise history that Quebec had two four-goal scorers in one game. The 10 goals were a season high and the most in franchise history, going to the start of the team's days in Florida.
Vause's comments aside, it's hard to imagine Quebec playing much better, especially after such a dominating offensive display against the Wild.
"To have two guys score that many goals, I don't know if I've ever been around that type of thing," Jackals coach Peter DeBoer said. "It is amazing and different, and doesn't happen very often."
It was the fifth career hattrick for Cheechoo, and second for Hrdina.
"I wanted to play a good game tonight," Hrdina said. "They just kept going in and I was pretty happy with that."
The Jackals coach couldn't be happier seeing the full show of Hrdina's skills come out on the ice.
"The idea of having a group of players do well is having them respond to you encouraging them to just go out and play," DeBoer said. "He took advantage of it tonight to have a big night."
Mark Mancari, Stephen Weiss, Tomas Holmstrom and Brendan Morrow scored for Minnesota, which has dropped four of its last five.
Last year's Vezina finalist Niklas Backstrom didn't last long in net, allowing three goals on the first six shots he faced. He was pulled after seven minutes in favor of Josh Harding, who didn't have any more luck. At the end of the second, Backstrom returned to the net, after Harding had allowed four goals on 15 shots.
"Their goaltending wasn't the best they had, and we took advantage of that," Cheechoo said. "When you get off on the wrong foot, it's tough to get back, and I think that's what we did to their goalies."
Vause opened the scoring just 36 seconds in, beating Backstrom from close in on Quebec's first shot. He followed with his second of the game on the Jackals' third shot less than three minutes later.
Hrdina chased Backstrom after outmuscling Stephen Weiss in front of the net, putting his own rebound past the goalie.
Minnesota got back into the game with three consecutive goals in the second to pull to 5-3 before the Jackals scored four consecutive goals. Cheechoo scored three times during that stretch and capped the scoring with his 6th goal of the season with just under four minutes remaining.
"I was ready to go, but it was just one of those nights," Harding said. "You can't dig yourself a hole like that and expect to come out."
Quebec goalie Dany Tardak made his first start in a week, as Jose Theodore sat out after three straight appearances.
"You make mistakes and you're going to get burned - and we got burned," Wild coach Todd Richards said.
Scoring summary:
G
Per
Time
Str
Team
Goal Scorer
Assist
Assist
1
1
0:36
EV
QUE
10 T.VAUSE (11)
43 D.KULIKOV (6)
14 J.CHEECHOO (6)
2
1
3:15
PP
QUE
10 T.VAUSE (12)
7 J.BERGSTROM (12)
3
1
7:34
EV
QUE
18 M.HRDINA (5)
28 M.HALISCHUK (2)
4
1
15:48
PP
QUE
18 M.HRDINA (6)
10 T.VAUSE (15)
91 E.MESSIER (4)
5
2
2:36
EV
QUE
18 M.HRDINA (7)
14 J.CHEECHOO (7)
77 J.MCKEE (2)
6
2
6:22
EV
MIN
38 M.MANCARI (4)
57 M.PALIN (4)
3 S.ROBIDAS (3)
7
2
10:02
EV
MIN
13 S.WEISS (5)
15 J.SHEPPARD (4)
93 J.FRANZEN (4)
8
2
14:56
PP
MIN
94 T.HOLMSTROM (1)
34 M.NOREAU (4)
9
2
17:58
EV
QUE
18 M.HRDINA (8)
2 A.BODNARCHUK (8)
10
2
19:06
EV
QUE
14 J.CHEECHOO (3)
11 A.PETERSEN (3)
67 M.FROLIK (4)
11
3
5:54
PP
QUE
14 J.CHEECHOO (4)
43 D.KULIKOV (7)
79 A.MARKOV (4)
12
3
11:27
EV
QUE
14 J.CHEECHOO (5)
5 B.ALLEN (2)
13
3
14:21
PP
MIN
10 B.MORROW (3)
36 J.JOKINEN (2)
13 S.WEISS (3)
14
3
16:06
EV
QUE
14 J.CHEECHOO (6)
67 M.FROLIK (5)
7 J.BERGSTROM (13)
Rosters:
QUEBEC JACKALS
MINNESOTA WILD
2 ANDREW BODNARCHUK
3 STEPHANE ROBIDAS
5 BRYAN ALLEN
5 LOGAN PYETT
7 JOHAN BERGSTROM
8 NATHAN MCIVER
9 MIKE MODANO (A)
10 BRENDAN MORROW (C)
10 TOM VAUSE (C)
13 STEVEN WEISS
11 MATTHEW PETERSEN
14 MARTIN HAVLAT (A)
14 JONATHAN CHEECHOO
15 JAMES SHEPPARD
18 MARTIN HRDINA
25 MIKE GRIER
23 DAVID CLARKSON
26 ERIK COLE (A)
28 MATTHEW HALISCHUK
34 MAXIM NOREAU
32 STEVEN REINPRECHT
36 JUSSI JOKINEN
43 DMITRY KULIKOV
38 MARK MANCARI
44 BRANDON CROMBEEN
40 MIKE KOSTKA
67 MICHAEL FROLIK
41 CLARKE MACARTHUR
77 JAY MCKEE
57 MANNY PALIN
79 ANDREI MARKOV (A)
93 JOHAN FRANZEN
85 ROSTISLAV OLESZ
94 TOMAS HOLMSTROM
91 ERIK MESSIER
96 PIERRE-MARC BOUCHARD
29 DANY TARDAK
29 JOSH HARDING
60 JOSE THEODORE
32 NIKLAS BACKSTROM
Last edited by Michael Scofield: 10-14-2009 at 03:52 PM.
GOAL SCORERS QUE: Vause, T. (0:36 in 1st);
Vause, T. (PPG, 3:15 in 1st); Hrdina, M. (7:34 in 1st);
Hrdina, M. (PPG, 15:48 in 1st); Hrdina, M. (2:36 in 2nd);
Hrdina, M. (17:58 in 2nd); Cheechoo, J. (19:06 in 2nd);
Cheechoo, J. (PPG, 5:54 in 3rd);
Cheechoo, J. (11:27 in 3rd);
Cheechoo, J. (16:06 in 3rd)
MIN:
Mancari, M. (6:22 in 2nd); Weiss, S. (10:02 in 2nd);
Holmstrom, T. (PPG, 14:56 in 2nd);
Morrow, B. (PPG, 14:21 in 3rd)
ST PAUL, MN. - Tom Vause had an intimidating message for the rest of the NHL.
"I don't think we hit our peak yet," he said after Quebec's 10-4 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. "I think we can get better."
Martin Hrdina and Jonathan Cheechoo each scored four goals, and Vause added two more for the Jackals, who won for the seventh time in 9 games and remain unbeaten in regulation. They are off to their best start as a franchise since entering the league as an expansion team in 1993.
Vause tied a league record with his twentyseventh point in his first nine games of the season. It was the first career four-goal game for Hrdina, and the third time a week a Jackals player has scored four times. Vause had four goals in an 6-1 win over Ottawa last Saturday.
"When we play good as a team, good things happen for individuals as well," Cheechoo said. "We got a lot of good breaks tonight and put them away."
It was also the first time in franchise history that Quebec had two four-goal scorers in one game. The 10 goals were a season high and the most in franchise history, going to the start of the team's days in Florida.
Vause's comments aside, it's hard to imagine Quebec playing much better, especially after such a dominating offensive display against the Wild.
"To have two guys score that many goals, I don't know if I've ever been around that type of thing," Jackals coach Peter DeBoer said. "It is amazing and different, and doesn't happen very often."
It was the fifth career hattrick for Cheechoo, and second for Hrdina.
"I wanted to play a good game tonight," Hrdina said. "They just kept going in and I was pretty happy with that."
The Jackals coach couldn't be happier seeing the full show of Hrdina's skills come out on the ice.
"The idea of having a group of players do well is having them respond to you encouraging them to just go out and play," DeBoer said. "He took advantage of it tonight to have a big night."
Mark Mancari, Stephen Weiss, Tomas Holmstrom and Brendan Morrow scored for Minnesota, which has dropped four of its last five.
Last year's Vezina finalist Niklas Backstrom didn't last long in net, allowing three goals on the first six shots he faced. He was pulled after seven minutes in favor of Josh Harding, who didn't have any more luck. At the end of the second, Backstrom returned to the net, after Harding had allowed four goals on 15 shots.
"Their goaltending wasn't the best they had, and we took advantage of that," Cheechoo said. "When you get off on the wrong foot, it's tough to get back, and I think that's what we did to their goalies."
Vause opened the scoring just 36 seconds in, beating Backstrom from close in on Quebec's first shot. He followed with his second of the game on the Jackals' third shot less than three minutes later.
Hrdina chased Backstrom after outmuscling Stephen Weiss in front of the net, putting his own rebound past the goalie.
Minnesota got back into the game with three consecutive goals in the second to pull to 5-3 before the Jackals scored four consecutive goals. Cheechoo scored three times during that stretch and capped the scoring with his 6th goal of the season with just under four minutes remaining.
"I was ready to go, but it was just one of those nights," Harding said. "You can't dig yourself a hole like that and expect to come out."
Quebec goalie Dany Tardak made his first start in a week, as Jose Theodore sat out after three straight appearances.
"You make mistakes and you're going to get burned - and we got burned," Wild coach Todd Richards said.
Scoring summary:
G
Per
Time
Str
Team
Goal Scorer
Assist
Assist
1
1
0:36
EV
QUE
10 T.VAUSE (11)
43 D.KULIKOV (6)
14 J.CHEECHOO (6)
2
1
3:15
PP
QUE
10 T.VAUSE (12)
7 J.BERGSTROM (12)
3
1
7:34
EV
QUE
18 M.HRDINA (5)
28 M.HALISCHUK (2)
4
1
15:48
PP
QUE
18 M.HRDINA (6)
10 T.VAUSE (15)
91 E.MESSIER (4)
5
2
2:36
EV
QUE
18 M.HRDINA (7)
14 J.CHEECHOO (7)
77 J.MCKEE (2)
6
2
6:22
EV
MIN
38 M.MANCARI (4)
57 M.PALIN (4)
3 S.ROBIDAS (3)
7
2
10:02
EV
MIN
13 S.WEISS (5)
15 J.SHEPPARD (4)
93 J.FRANZEN (4)
8
2
14:56
PP
MIN
94 T.HOLMSTROM (1)
34 M.NOREAU (4)
9
2
17:58
EV
QUE
18 M.HRDINA (8)
2 A.BODNARCHUK (8)
10
2
19:06
EV
QUE
14 J.CHEECHOO (3)
11 A.PETERSEN (3)
67 M.FROLIK (4)
11
3
5:54
PP
QUE
14 J.CHEECHOO (4)
43 D.KULIKOV (7)
79 A.MARKOV (4)
12
3
11:27
EV
QUE
14 J.CHEECHOO (5)
5 B.ALLEN (2)
13
3
14:21
PP
MIN
10 B.MORROW (3)
36 J.JOKINEN (2)
13 S.WEISS (3)
14
3
16:06
EV
QUE
14 J.CHEECHOO (6)
67 M.FROLIK (4)
7 J.BERGSTROM (13)
Rosters:
QUEBEC JACKALS
MINNESOTA WILD
2 ANDREW BODNARCHUK
3 STEPHANE ROBIDAS
5 BRYAN ALLEN
5 LOGAN PYETT
7 JOHAN BERGSTROM
8 NATHAN MCIVER
9 MIKE MODANO (A)
10 BRENDAN MORROW (C)
10 TOM VAUSE (C)
13 STEVEN WEISS
11 MATTHEW PETERSEN
14 MARTIN HAVLAT (A)
14 JONATHAN CHEECHOO
15 JAMES SHEPPARD
18 MARTIN HRDINA
25 MIKE GRIER
23 DAVID CLARKSON
26 ERIK COLE (A)
28 MATTHEW HALISCHUK
34 MAXIM NOREAU
32 STEVEN REINPRECHT
36 JUSSI JOKINEN
43 DMITRY KULIKOV
38 MARK MANCARI
44 BRANDON CROMBEEN
40 MIKE KOSTKA
67 MICHAEL FROLIK
41 CLARKE MACARTHUR
77 JAY MCKEE
57 MANNY PALIN
79 ANDREI MARKOV (A)
93 JOHAN FRANZEN
85 ROSTISLAV OLESZ
94 TOMAS HOLMSTROM
91 ERIK MESSIER
96 PIERRE-MARC BOUCHARD
29 DANY TARDAK
29 JOSH HARDING
60 JOSE THEODORE
32 NIKLAS BACKSTROM
Johan Bergstrom. Isn't that a kid you can draft at the '09 Draft? If that's him, DO NOT let go of him. He takes a while to develop, but he pays off for you in the end.
Johan Bergstrom. Isn't that a kid you can draft at the '09 Draft? If that's him, DO NOT let go of him. He takes a while to develop, but he pays off for you in the end.
He was in the '10 draft, but I was really impressed with him in the prospects game and he seems able to play a more physical game than his stats show, so kept him with the team.
Thanks for letting me know, looking forward to seeing how he develops because he's been a stud on the powerplay.
Two games into his tenure with New Jersey, Shea Weber wasted no time making his presence felt. After laying a crushing hit on Vancouver's Jay Pandolfo, Weber made a beautiful pass to Ales Hemsky, who scored the first goal of the game.Captain Zach Parise continued his hot start, scoring 4 goals. He now has 40 goals through 25 games. The Devils currently stand at 21-4-0, and lead the New York Rangers by one point.
