(I hate it when people use players' last names in cutesy titles, but I couldn't resist on this one.)
The Canadian Press put out a feature on Bryan Little when the Thrashers were up in Toronto, which NHL.com put up on their website. The problem? "Photo not available" for Little. We see linemate Marian Hossa, but not the player the story is about. The player who is tied for sixth in rookie scoring in the league, by the way (Sterling and Enstrom are tied for tenth).
Why aren't the youth in the NHL being marketed better to a broader audience? Apparently it's because the NHL can't find photos of them.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
More names for the coaching position
There haven't been many plausible names bandied about out for the Atlanta Thrashers head coaching position, now that Bob Hartley has been fired. Randy Cunneyworth and current assistant Brad McCrimmon are definitely good ones to think about. But here are eight more candidates, with links to their coaching records at hockeydb (which isn't always complete, but a decent resource).
Mike Eaves -- Eaves played 324 NHL games, retiring in 1986. He's been an NHL assistant coach with the Flyers and Penguins, a head coach in the AHL, a head coach with the USNTDP, national junior team, head coach in the Finnish Elite league in 1996-97, and most recently head coach at the University of Wisconsin, where he won the NCAA title in 2006. His son Patrick plays for the Senators. Eaves, 51, is very widely respected in the NCAA circles.
Mike Foligno -- Foligno played 1018 NHL games, retiring in 1994. Since then, he's been moving around different levels of hockey, most recently with the OHL Sudbury Wolves, where he went to coach his son, Nick, who is now in the NHL with the Senators (a strange coincidence with Eaves above). Foligno was also an assistant in the NHL with Toronto and Colorado. I met Mike at the draft in Nashville a few years ago -- we were standing in line outside together early Saturday morning. Seeing his name tag, I struck up a conversation with him about former Thrasher Scott Fankhouser, who he had coached in Hershey the year before. I also congratulated him on Nick being named to the U-17 team (had just happened to see that like the day before). Anyway, Mike, who is now 48, seemed like a great guy, and passes my quick screening test.
Dave Hakstol -- Hakstol played in the NCAA and IHL as a defenseman, retiring in 1996. He coached in the USHL to start, and is now head coach of NCAA powerhouse North Dakota, where the Thrashers have three prospects playing. UND gave him and the rest of his staff a new five-year contract this fall. Hakstol is 39.
John MacLean -- MacLean played 1164 NHL games, mostly with the NJ Devils, who he has been an assistant coach with for five years. NJ is very good defensively, which MacLean could help with. He is 43. The question would be if he would want to leave the Devils organization, who drafted him back in 1983.
Jim Playfair -- In the "interesting, but maybe not available" pile, we have Jim Playfair. He was an assistant in Calgary promoted to head coach then was pushed aside by Mike Keenan to be "associate coach", so he may not have an out clause. Playfair played 21 NHL games on defense, and had a long minor-league career. He is 43.
Trent Yawney -- In the "easy to get because he's not coaching professionally this year" pile, we have Yawney. Yawney played 593 NHL games as a defenseman, retiring in 1999. He was a successful coach in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals. He coached the Blackhawks for two years, ending last year.
Dean Blais -- Blais played college hockey and then some minor pro. He went on to a long career with the Univ. of North Dakota, leading the Sioux to NCAA championships in 1997 and 2000. He also had a relationship with USA Hockey. In 2005-06 he took a position as associate coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but that was short-lived. In summer 2007, he was named General Manager/Coach of a USHL franchise to be based in Fargo, North Dakota.
Mike Eaves -- Eaves played 324 NHL games, retiring in 1986. He's been an NHL assistant coach with the Flyers and Penguins, a head coach in the AHL, a head coach with the USNTDP, national junior team, head coach in the Finnish Elite league in 1996-97, and most recently head coach at the University of Wisconsin, where he won the NCAA title in 2006. His son Patrick plays for the Senators. Eaves, 51, is very widely respected in the NCAA circles.
Mike Foligno -- Foligno played 1018 NHL games, retiring in 1994. Since then, he's been moving around different levels of hockey, most recently with the OHL Sudbury Wolves, where he went to coach his son, Nick, who is now in the NHL with the Senators (a strange coincidence with Eaves above). Foligno was also an assistant in the NHL with Toronto and Colorado. I met Mike at the draft in Nashville a few years ago -- we were standing in line outside together early Saturday morning. Seeing his name tag, I struck up a conversation with him about former Thrasher Scott Fankhouser, who he had coached in Hershey the year before. I also congratulated him on Nick being named to the U-17 team (had just happened to see that like the day before). Anyway, Mike, who is now 48, seemed like a great guy, and passes my quick screening test.
Dave Hakstol -- Hakstol played in the NCAA and IHL as a defenseman, retiring in 1996. He coached in the USHL to start, and is now head coach of NCAA powerhouse North Dakota, where the Thrashers have three prospects playing. UND gave him and the rest of his staff a new five-year contract this fall. Hakstol is 39.
John MacLean -- MacLean played 1164 NHL games, mostly with the NJ Devils, who he has been an assistant coach with for five years. NJ is very good defensively, which MacLean could help with. He is 43. The question would be if he would want to leave the Devils organization, who drafted him back in 1983.
Jim Playfair -- In the "interesting, but maybe not available" pile, we have Jim Playfair. He was an assistant in Calgary promoted to head coach then was pushed aside by Mike Keenan to be "associate coach", so he may not have an out clause. Playfair played 21 NHL games on defense, and had a long minor-league career. He is 43.
Trent Yawney -- In the "easy to get because he's not coaching professionally this year" pile, we have Yawney. Yawney played 593 NHL games as a defenseman, retiring in 1999. He was a successful coach in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals. He coached the Blackhawks for two years, ending last year.
Dean Blais -- Blais played college hockey and then some minor pro. He went on to a long career with the Univ. of North Dakota, leading the Sioux to NCAA championships in 1997 and 2000. He also had a relationship with USA Hockey. In 2005-06 he took a position as associate coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but that was short-lived. In summer 2007, he was named General Manager/Coach of a USHL franchise to be based in Fargo, North Dakota.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Farber's under-the-radar people in the NHL
SI's Michael Farber has a good list of the "Five under-the-radar people who make a big impact" in the NHL. Three of the five have impacts on prospects. If you haven't heard of them before, you should definitely read up.
1. Hakan Andersson - Detroit Red Wings director of European scouting. People like to debate this one. Is his hit rate really that high, or do the Wings just take a lot of Europeans?
2. Chris Kelly -- Ottawa Senators forward
3. Benoit Allaire - NY Rangers goaltending coach.
4. Cory Murphy -- Florida Panther defenseman whom Tobias Enstrom really likes.
5. Trevor Timmins - Montreal Canadiens director of player recruitment and development. Farber calls him "anonymous" but he's actually out and about and quoted quite a bit.
1. Hakan Andersson - Detroit Red Wings director of European scouting. People like to debate this one. Is his hit rate really that high, or do the Wings just take a lot of Europeans?
2. Chris Kelly -- Ottawa Senators forward
3. Benoit Allaire - NY Rangers goaltending coach.
4. Cory Murphy -- Florida Panther defenseman whom Tobias Enstrom really likes.
5. Trevor Timmins - Montreal Canadiens director of player recruitment and development. Farber calls him "anonymous" but he's actually out and about and quoted quite a bit.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Larry Brooks on the Hartley firing
NY Post columnist Larry Brooks on the Hartley firing. As I've said many times before, I don't care for Larry Brooks the person, but I respect the fact that he has very good sources.
I don't think the last bit about Don staying behind the bench the rest of the year will happen. I think that is not the favored route, but could happen if they are not able to get their top choices due to contractual or other issues.
And from the Tampa Bay Tribune, Mike Sullivan isn't an option right now:
Atlanta's Bob Hartley essentially fired himself between Games 2 and 3 of last year's first-round sweep by the Rangers when he switched starting goaltenders for the second time in the series, going back to Game 1's ineffective Kari Lehtonen rather than sticking with Game 2's outstanding Johan Hedberg. That was it for the coach, who wasn't dismissed over the summer only because GM Don Waddell didn't have authority from ownership to do so.
Now Waddell, whose own job is surely on the line, is behind the bench in an interim capacity that we're told may extend throughout the course of the season.
I don't think the last bit about Don staying behind the bench the rest of the year will happen. I think that is not the favored route, but could happen if they are not able to get their top choices due to contractual or other issues.
And from the Tampa Bay Tribune, Mike Sullivan isn't an option right now:
SULLY STAYS PUT: The name of Lightning assistant coach Mike Sullivan surfaced as a potential candidate to replace recently fired Bob Hartley as Atlanta's head coach, but Sullivan's contract doesn't allow him to pursue other jobs during the season without the Lightning's permission.
Sullivan declined interview requests Friday regarding the Thrashers' opening. The former Boston head coach does have a window of time during the offseason during which he can pursue head coaching jobs.
Gladiators home opener
Last night the Gwinnett Gladiators had their home opener, beating Pensacola for the second night in a row. They are now 2-0.
The lines as they currently stand:
Mike Hamilton - Jeff Campbell - Derek Nesbitt
Lou Dickenson - Dirk Southern - Andy Brandt
Ryan Walsh/Myles Stoesz - Stuart MacRae - Mike Vigilante
Jeff Mason - Jon Awe
Jim Jackson - Jamie Milam
Ryan Mahrle - Dino Stamoulis
Stoesz fought Daniel Sullivan in the second period, a pretty mundane fight, but the crowd liked it and Stoesz egged them on as the skated to the bench.
Craig Kowalski played both Friday and Saturday nights. Dan Turple is currently called up to Chicago due to the trickle down from Kari Lehtonen's injury. But, the scuttlebutt is that Turps may not be gone for the entire time of the injury. We'll see what develops.
In the meantime, the Gladiators will hang onto Ervins Mustukovs, who had some success with Toledo last year.
I talked to Ondrej Pavelec's former teammate Jean-Claude Sawyer (Pensacola) last night about how Pavelec was to play with. Nothing groundbreaking was learned, more of a confirmation of what was already known. But it's always good to talk to a lot of people because you never know what will come of it. I got to tell him that Pavelec made his NHL debut and his face lit up and asked "how did he do?"
The lines as they currently stand:
Mike Hamilton - Jeff Campbell - Derek Nesbitt
Lou Dickenson - Dirk Southern - Andy Brandt
Ryan Walsh/Myles Stoesz - Stuart MacRae - Mike Vigilante
Jeff Mason - Jon Awe
Jim Jackson - Jamie Milam
Ryan Mahrle - Dino Stamoulis
Stoesz fought Daniel Sullivan in the second period, a pretty mundane fight, but the crowd liked it and Stoesz egged them on as the skated to the bench.
Craig Kowalski played both Friday and Saturday nights. Dan Turple is currently called up to Chicago due to the trickle down from Kari Lehtonen's injury. But, the scuttlebutt is that Turps may not be gone for the entire time of the injury. We'll see what develops.
In the meantime, the Gladiators will hang onto Ervins Mustukovs, who had some success with Toledo last year.
I talked to Ondrej Pavelec's former teammate Jean-Claude Sawyer (Pensacola) last night about how Pavelec was to play with. Nothing groundbreaking was learned, more of a confirmation of what was already known. But it's always good to talk to a lot of people because you never know what will come of it. I got to tell him that Pavelec made his NHL debut and his face lit up and asked "how did he do?"
Friday, October 19, 2007
Why can't you be like ... Kari Lehtonen
It's unfortunate that Kari Lehtonen's latest injury happened just as he was given new life -- life after Bob Hartley.
From Jeff Marek of HNIC Radio in his blog on CBC's website:
Hartley -- who mentions Roy's name so frequently it could be its own drinking game - has been Lehtonen's coach for the young man's entire NHL career. We would question the parenting skills of a father who said "why can't you be like your older brother," so you have to question someone who, even indirectly through the media, implied "Why can't you be like Patrick Roy?"
There's no question that Lehtonen's confidence suffered under Hartley's watch, who alternated between praise and criticism of him. He was impatient with Lehtonen and his calm, laid-back personality. Hartley mistook a lack of fire-breathing passion for laziness, when it just wasn't in the stoic Finn's personality to be that way. Pasi Nurminen is a Finnish goaltender who might pass Hartley's litmus test, but he was acknowledged to be unusual when he was playing.
The groin injuries have not helped matters. Lehtonen was often out when the team needed him most. It was another source of tension between him and Hartley.
Lehtonen won the 2002 Finnish elite league championship as an 18-year-old. He was a two-time winner of the best goaltender award in that league, and was playoff MVP in 2001. His accomplishments led to him being the highest-ever European goalie drafted at No. 2 overall in 2002.
Those accomplishments, and his play in Chicago in the AHL, are a stark contrast to his work in Atlanta. Fast forwarding to last spring's playoff first-round series, Hartley pulled him twice, letting backup Johan Hedberg start the fourth and final game. It's a prime example of the kind of thing that doesn't do much for a 23-year-old's confidence.
Confidence is a tricky thing, but it's the most important tool in a goaltender's toolbox. The Lehtonen who returns from injury may well be someone that the fans in Atlanta have never met.
Lehtonen himself may not even fully realize how much the mental game has affected him. But to those who knew him before, the contrast is clear.
The contrast is also in his recent non-Thrashers play. Playing for his country, Lehtonen sparkled this past summer in the World Championships, helping Finland to a silver medal.
If he can finally put the groin injuries behind him, Lehtonen's outlook for future performance is very bright. The next few weeks off will definitely give him time to clear his head and rebuild his confidence.
From Jeff Marek of HNIC Radio in his blog on CBC's website:
"One step forward, two steps back for the Atlanta Thrashers, who last night, picked up their first win of the season (5-3 against the Rangers) but in the process lost netminder Kari Lehtonen to a groin injury. Ouch, that hurts. Lehtonen has been described by insiders in Atlanta as standing the most to gain now that Bob Hartley has been punted. The two were said to never see eye-to-eye and Hartley was perhaps spoiled in Colorado and expected all goalies to be and behave like Patrick Roy."
Hartley -- who mentions Roy's name so frequently it could be its own drinking game - has been Lehtonen's coach for the young man's entire NHL career. We would question the parenting skills of a father who said "why can't you be like your older brother," so you have to question someone who, even indirectly through the media, implied "Why can't you be like Patrick Roy?"
There's no question that Lehtonen's confidence suffered under Hartley's watch, who alternated between praise and criticism of him. He was impatient with Lehtonen and his calm, laid-back personality. Hartley mistook a lack of fire-breathing passion for laziness, when it just wasn't in the stoic Finn's personality to be that way. Pasi Nurminen is a Finnish goaltender who might pass Hartley's litmus test, but he was acknowledged to be unusual when he was playing.
The groin injuries have not helped matters. Lehtonen was often out when the team needed him most. It was another source of tension between him and Hartley.
Lehtonen won the 2002 Finnish elite league championship as an 18-year-old. He was a two-time winner of the best goaltender award in that league, and was playoff MVP in 2001. His accomplishments led to him being the highest-ever European goalie drafted at No. 2 overall in 2002.
Those accomplishments, and his play in Chicago in the AHL, are a stark contrast to his work in Atlanta. Fast forwarding to last spring's playoff first-round series, Hartley pulled him twice, letting backup Johan Hedberg start the fourth and final game. It's a prime example of the kind of thing that doesn't do much for a 23-year-old's confidence.
Confidence is a tricky thing, but it's the most important tool in a goaltender's toolbox. The Lehtonen who returns from injury may well be someone that the fans in Atlanta have never met.
Lehtonen himself may not even fully realize how much the mental game has affected him. But to those who knew him before, the contrast is clear.
The contrast is also in his recent non-Thrashers play. Playing for his country, Lehtonen sparkled this past summer in the World Championships, helping Finland to a silver medal.
If he can finally put the groin injuries behind him, Lehtonen's outlook for future performance is very bright. The next few weeks off will definitely give him time to clear his head and rebuild his confidence.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
First game of a new era
The Thrashers beat nemesis NY Rangers 5-3, in Game 1 A.H. (After Hartley).
The players definitely seemed to have an extra spring in their step and were skating hard. All three Ranger goals were scored on the power play, so staying out of the box would go a long way towards cutting down the goals against.
Kari Lehtonen left the game with a groin strain, which should bring up rookie Ondrej Pavelec. The Thrashers are probably really interested to see what they have with Pavelec, and give him a shot when the time is right. But with the team playing every other night for the next few weeks, there are no back to backs, so Moose could play every game if he needed to.
There was a big scare with Tobias Enstrom in the second period, who fell awkwardly into the boards on his knees, hitting face-first after a cross check. He bounces back from everything though, and returned later none the worse for wear. He's still playing on the top pairing with Nic Havelid.
The Haydar - Little - Sterling line continued to click and got a bit more ice time. Sterling had a couple chances and drew at least one penalty, but he has yet to get on the board. He and Haydar certainly know where each other is going to be, which goes a long way. Little scored his second goal, off a nice pass from Haydar. With Todd White leaving the game, no forward needs to worry about being sent down just yet.
In the "they said it" file, comes this from the Denver Post All Things Avs blog by beat writer Adrian Dater:
The players definitely seemed to have an extra spring in their step and were skating hard. All three Ranger goals were scored on the power play, so staying out of the box would go a long way towards cutting down the goals against.
Kari Lehtonen left the game with a groin strain, which should bring up rookie Ondrej Pavelec. The Thrashers are probably really interested to see what they have with Pavelec, and give him a shot when the time is right. But with the team playing every other night for the next few weeks, there are no back to backs, so Moose could play every game if he needed to.
There was a big scare with Tobias Enstrom in the second period, who fell awkwardly into the boards on his knees, hitting face-first after a cross check. He bounces back from everything though, and returned later none the worse for wear. He's still playing on the top pairing with Nic Havelid.
The Haydar - Little - Sterling line continued to click and got a bit more ice time. Sterling had a couple chances and drew at least one penalty, but he has yet to get on the board. He and Haydar certainly know where each other is going to be, which goes a long way. Little scored his second goal, off a nice pass from Haydar. With Todd White leaving the game, no forward needs to worry about being sent down just yet.
In the "they said it" file, comes this from the Denver Post All Things Avs blog by beat writer Adrian Dater:
-In other news, sorry to see Bob Hartley go in Atlanta. But an 0-6 will do that. There were whispers that the team just totally quit on Hartley, because of his overbearing ways.
Some teams need a kick in the posterior from a coach, and some need a backrub. The Thrashers apparently were tired of all the butt-kicking by Hartley. He has always been a demanding coach, and it can wear thin on players. It happened toward the end in Colorado, too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
