Kind of a crazy 24 hours in hockey. Wonder goalie Jonas Gustavsson signed with the Maple Leafs, leaving the Dallas Stars scrambling to find a “backup” for Marty Turco who can step in and start when Turco inevitably flounders. Again. Not that Turco is going to go quietly into the night. He wants to play [...]
I’m thinking I need to get into real estate, since that seems to be the best way to track player movement. Some people say Jay Bouwmeester’s building a house in Edmonton is a clue he wants to play out west. Marian Gaborik’s buying a house in Vancouver seems to be a clue he’ll sign there [...]
I suggested coach Dave Tippett would have a short leash in Dallas with new GM Joe Nieuwendyk, but I didn’t think it would be this short. The Stars are expected to announce the Tippett-ectomy today. Marc Crawford is rumored to be the next coach of the Stars. Crawford’s up-tempo, forecheck heavy style, which he’s coached [...]
So what did Pittsburgh do right in their win over Detroit? Quite a few things. Their powerplay was finally effective against the Wings. They managed to get pucks deep in the Red Wing zone. They kept the Zetterberg/Lindstrom match-up out on the ice for longer shifts, plus lots of ice time in general. I think [...]
I love Joe Nieuwendyk taking over as GM in Dallas. First of all, just the move to a single GM model is pretty huge for the Stars. That alone makes this a great move. But you also have to love Nieuwendyk’s pedigree. He’s a player who knows how to win. Not only did he win [...]
Wow. Martin Erat is out for the rest of the season. That’s tough for Nashville, who really haven’t locked down a spot in the playoffs. Even worse, he was hurt by friendly fire — teammate Shea Weber pulled the trigger. The only good news is that the Predators might call up the beloved Jed Ortmeyer, [...]
Mike Heika posed an interesting question this morning: why didn’t Sean Avery work in Dallas? Heika obviously can’t say for sure. My suspicion is that ultimately, Avery’s salary was a source of jealousy and that kept the other players from embracing him. Salary is a huge thing — especially in a league with a salary [...]
Terry Frei had a great piece comparing Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler’s beef with his new coach to Patrick Roy’s beef with Mario Tremblay. Roy’s beef famously ended with a trade out of Montreal to Colorado. Of course, one key difference in the two stories is that Patrick Roy was Patrick Roy, while Jay Cutler [...]
So after settling down for a brief period in February, Dallas goalie Marty Turco seems to be regressing, getting pulled in the first period last night, his second hook in six starts. Unsurprisingly, Dallas lost to the Blues, tightening the Western Conference playoff race even more. Dallas coach Dave Tippett told Bill Nichols before the [...]
Two fun facts to start today: The Blues have one first period goal in their last 11 games. But they’re also 7-3-1 during that stretch, so maybe that’s working for them. Flyers coach John Stevens enjoys baking. I had him pegged as a griller, not a baker. The baking thing comes up in Anthony J. [...]
