Los Angeles Kings Clinch Stanley Cup Finals Berth with Game 5 Win Over Phoenix: Fan’s Reaction (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 11:44:00 PDT)
On Tuesday, May 22, the Los Angeles Kings beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-3 in sudden-death overtime to clinch their second Western Conference title. The team will now move on to play either the New York Rangers or the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Islanders goalie Al Montoya, the most popular hockey player on Wikipedia? (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 09:29:23 PDT)
Over on Puck Drunk Love, David Rogers found a list from the WikiProject Ice Hockey group that ranks the most popular hockey-centric pages . The top five, in views per day: 5. Mike Comrie (3,389) 4. Wayne Gretzky (3,481) 3. Mario Lemieux (3,600) 2. National Hockey League (3,670) And at No. 1 … 1. Al Montoya (8,110) What the what? Seeing New York Islanders Al Montoya top a list of the most popular hockey pages on Wikipedia is seeing a Bobcat Goldthwaite comedy win the box office. It begs for investigation into what find of nefarious "Vote For Rory"-esque campaign may have influenced these tallies. Writes Rogers: Unfortunately, Montoya's popularity on Wikipedia likely has nothing to do with his skills on the ice. In reality, Montoya's popularity might be due to confusion with the character from "The Princess Bride", Inigo Montoya. Searchers hunting for the infamous Inigo Montoya quote ("Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.") likely stumbled on the goaltender for the Islanders by mistake. Well, that's one theory.

What We Learned: Embarrassing LA sports media moments while covering Kings playoff run (Puck Daddy)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 06:58:22 PDT)
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it. It's possibly the greatest bit of investigative journalism conducted since Woodward and Bernstein brought down Richard Nixon. This exemplary, collective effort of sleuth work is currently ongoing in Los Angeles, Calif., where an entire media market has unearthed the NHL's shocking secret: The city has a professional hockey team. Over the past week or so here at Puck Daddy, we've tried to document every startling discovery made by the intrepid Los Angeles media, like how to properly pronounce Anze Kopitar's name (it's hard because he's from Bosnia or something), the real name of this Drew Doughty character ( it's actually Brad !) and that hockey is in fact not played with a ball, but rather a little piece of rubber known as a "puck." That last one makes me pretty uncomfortable because of the word it rhymes with. ("Duck" — sorry, I just don't trust 'em; they have weird beaks). Just how villainous is this team, operating as a sort of sporting sleeper cell? They got all the way to the Western Conference Finals without one local noticing. That takes real criminal talent. And not only that, but, the NHL had the diabolical idea to hide it right under the Los Angelinos' noses, by having their home games played at the Staples Center. You know, where the Lakers play. Further, they named the team the Kings to intentionally confuse even the savviest media organization into thinking they are the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Astonishingly devious stuff. More twists and turns than the Da Vinci Code, which I've read three times just to make sure I understood it all. The best bit of this journalism on this pressing issue comes, of course, from the city's paper of record, the Los Angeles Times, winner of 44 Pulitzer Prizes since 1942, including three in 2012. It was for that towering beacon of journalistic excellence that columnist Chris Erskine successfully scruted several of the team and sport's most inscrutable mysteries . For instance, that thing I said earlier about the puck (again, yuck… oh and that's another gross word it rhymes with), I learned it from Erskine. Apparently they even freeze the thing. And that's a huge point of concern, because, "The hardest shots can reach 110 mph and tear flesh, crush bone, even kill you if you're not careful." Yikes, you guys! ( Coming Up: Rick Nash to Boston?; Tororella defends Prust; Ryan Suter faces his future; Evegni Malkin is having a pretty good season; why Lundqvist is King; why the Capitals can't win with Ovechkin; the Islanders know how to party; Canucks might keep Luongo; Ryan Miller on the CBA; Flames and Oilers coaching news; and are the Kings in trouble?)

Russia back on top, defeats Slovakia 6-2 in final (The Associated Press)
(Sun, 20 May 2012 15:52:23 PDT)
HELSINKI (AP) Russia won the world championship Sunday by defeating Slovakia 6-2.

King leads Kings to super-meta Game 3 victory over the Coyotes (Puck Daddy)
(Thu, 17 May 2012 21:44:42 PDT)
Make it eight. No, not Canadian teams -- consecutive wins for the Los Angeles Kings, who took a 3-0 series lead over the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference Finals with a 2-1 Game 3 victory. While the result was the same, Thursday night's script was slightly different, at least for the first 21 minutes. The Coyotes came out stronger in Los Angeles, outshooting the Kings 11-8 in the first period and showing that they wouldn't go easily. A minute into the second period, they finally beat Jonathan Quick, as Daymond Langkow slipped a shot through the LA netminder's pads on a partial breakaway to give the Coyotes their first lead of the series. But only 127 seconds later, the Kings answered. Dustin Brown found Anze Kopitar streaking in behind the Phoenix defence, and Kopitar made two elite plays to tie the score: first, he deftly accepted the pass by kicking it from his skate to his stick, and second, he opened up Mike Smith up with a first-class deke, slipping the puck through the five-hole. And then the Kings kept answering.

Rangers shot-blocking mentality bad for NHL (The Hockey News)
(Mon, 14 May 2012 09:18:00 PDT)
The New York Rangers are the only team left that only plays defense, so if they win the Stanley Cup, the league will be worse off.

What We Learned: What to make of this Washington Capitals season? (Puck Daddy)
(Mon, 14 May 2012 05:28:10 PDT)
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it. There's been a lot of talk about what this season has meant for the Washington Capitals in the hours leading up to, and then immediately following, their final game of the remarkably eventful 2011-12 season. Wysh had a pretty good recap of the reasons the Capitals felt this little run to a pair of one-goal Game 7s against the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference — both having been heavy favorites — vindicated the Dale Hunter system of everyone playing defense and collapsing to within three inches of the crease, and it's perfectly reasonable for people to feel that way. Certainly, no one expected these Capitals to do much damage in the postseason given that they frittered away a division they were picked to dominate. But the thing that everyone seems to forget is that, again, they were picked to dominate the Southeast, be a superpower in the East and the League at large. If the team tuned out Bruce Boudreau, and it appears they did, then wasn't his replacement, whoever it happened to be, more or less expected to get this far? Therefore, it becomes a question about what changed, and really, what didn't. Let's not forget, Boudreau came in originally and let guys like Alex Semin, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green have their run of the rink. Two-minute shifts? Sure! Goals aplenty? You bet. But in the end, what did it get them? Bounce-outs, and if you believe the talk, disappointing ones at that. So Boudreau changed the style, focusing more on defense, tethering Ovechkin and Co. to an extent, and … getting the same amount of success. Under each of the two clearly definable Boudreau regimes, the team lost in the conference quarter- and semi-finals. Which is of course notable because the latter is exactly how far Hunter got in his first chance at the tiller, despite doing everything in his power not to: like limiting Ovechkin to fewer than 20 minutes a night in every game in this series save for Saturday's Game 7 and the three-overtime Game 3, in which he played 35:14 — or, if you prefer 17:37 per three periods of play. This therefore vindicates Hunter only as far as it vindicated Boudreau; which, with a roster like this, and given the "choker" label being hung liberally on the former Caps coach this time last year. The philosophy changed radically under Hunter, and worked only as far as it did for Boudreau. Why? ( Coming Up: Team USA, international ass-kickers; getting stupid about Patrick Kane's drinking; Parise's future; Could Brad Stuart return to the Sharks?; Kevin Lowe says Ryan Murray is the top player in this year's draft class; Suter/Weber questions; Pancakes Penner's revenge; Bruins pumped for Dougie Hamilton; Alfredsson retirement watch; Leafs/Penguins trade?; Lundqvist is King; Alex Burrows runs and hugs a goalie; and Winnipeg Jets fans are burning Coyotes jerseys.)

Canada routs Kazakhstan 8-0 at hockey worlds (The Associated Press)
(Sat, 12 May 2012 13:59:03 PDT)
HELSINKI (AP) Dion Phaneuf scored twice and Devan Dubnyk stopped 24 shots to help Canada crush Kazakhstan 8-0 Saturday and reach the quarterfinals of hockey's world championships.

Canada rout Kazakhstan to confirm group lead
(Sat, 12 May 2012 13:41:50 PDT)
Vacouver Olympic champions Canada maintained their world ice hockey championship preliminary group lead with an 8-0 thrashing of former Soviet republic Kazakhstan here on Saturday.

Ducks sign coach Boudreau to 2-year extension (The Associated Press)
(Thu, 10 May 2012 16:53:39 PDT)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Coach Bruce Boudreau's shortened debut season with the Anaheim Ducks was good enough to keep him around for a whole lot longer.

What We Learned: Do mediocre divisions produce better Stanley Cup Playoff teams? (Puck Daddy)
(Mon, 07 May 2012 07:24:34 PDT)
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it. Occasionally you will hear that playing top teams several times a season, like those in the Atlantic and Central Divisions did this season, is a great way to prepare yourself for the postseason. They say it makes you ready to face the tougher competition in the playoffs, and by extension, those teams playing in softer divisions must logically be ill-prepared for similar rigors once the postseason rolls around. Both of the Atlantic and Central divisions were littered with 100-point teams, boasting eight of the league's 10 to eclipse the century mark between them (the other two being Boston and Vancouver), and it therefore stood to reason that they would likely send the lion's share of competitors to the conference finals. The better teams in the regular season tend to do about as well in the postseason, because they are, after all, very good teams. That makes sense. It turns out, though, that having a bunch of teams even in the neighborhood of 100 points in your division at the end of the regular season actually may be more of a detriment to a squad's postseason success. Since the lockout, only two teams have played in a Stanley Cup Final after playing in a division with three teams that managed 100 points. However, both those teams (Anaheim in 2007 and Chicago in 2010) won the Cup. If you expand that number out to even 97 points — which typically assures you a playoff berth but not home ice — only two more teams are added to the mix, the 2008 and 2009 Penguins. Conversely, teams coming out of divisions with two or fewer 97-point teams got into the Cup Finals with far greater frequency, doing so eight times since the lockout (including both Boston and Vancouver last year). But now we've seen the Los Angeles Kings advance to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 1993, and the Phoenix Coyotes stand on the precipice of doing the same for the first time since ever. Phoenix won the Pacific Division with 97 points, and is only a home ice team by virtue of its division title. Had seeding been based on points, they'd have slotted into the sixth spot. Los Angeles, meanwhile, finished with 95. The now-eliminated Sharks were sandwiched between them with 96. Three teams from one division in the playoffs, yes, but one terribly underwhelming division from which not much was expected. (Coming Up: America is a hockey superpower, thanks to Jack Johnson; Barry Trotz is wrong; Dustin Brown is awesome; Jordan Staal of Carolina; Thomas Vanek makes bank; Luongo to the Blackhawks?; Rick Dudley to the Habs; Jonathan Quick vs. Terry Sawchuck; trading Sidney Crosby; Todd McLellan-to-Calgary rumors; and the best and worst of the Capitals.)

Pesonen keeps Finland top at ice hockey worlds
(Sun, 06 May 2012 14:04:35 PDT)
Forward Janne Pesonen scored the winning goal as titleholders Finland kept their unbeaten record at the world ice hockey championships here on Sunday with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Slovakia.

Report: Rick Dudley to stop preparing Leafs for the Draft, join Canadiens as assistant GM (Puck Daddy)
(Sun, 06 May 2012 12:09:49 PDT)
Dudley and Bergevin would instantly form the studliest management duo in the NHL. When Marc Bergevin was named the General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens, rumours immediately began swirling that Rick Dudley was close to joining his front-office team. According to a report from TSN's Darren Dreger, Dudley is indeed set to become the Assistant GM in Montreal. Theres just one small hiccup. Dudley, a premier talent evaluator, is currently a member of Brian Burke's Lincoln-esque team of rivals in Toronto and he's been hard at work preparing the Maple Leafs for the upcoming NHL entry draft on June 22-23. That's a lot of inside information to take to Montreal. From TSN: Dudley, a member of Toronto's management team, has an "out" in his contract with the Leafs, but has done extensive work for Toronto on the upcoming NHL Draft and sources say Burke would prefer Dudley not join the Canadiens until after the Draft. Compounding the issue is the fact Toronto and Montreal both have top five picks (Canadiens at third overall, Leafs fifth), an obvious concern for the Maple Leafs, who would rather not share Dudley's expertise with the rival Habs. Montreal drafts just ahead of Toronto all through the weekend, and with Dudley at their table, they'll effectively have a mole in the Leafs' organization telling them exactly which players Burke and co. are praying will still be on the board. That's a lot of leverage to hold. so you can see why Burke might prefer that Dudley's first day with the Canadiens organization is in, say, the day after St. John the Baptist Day . Will he be able to block the move until then? The two sides are in talks. (Also, rumour has it Burke has been asking people if that systemic memory deletion firm from "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is based on a real company.) When the deal is finally made official, Dudley should prove to be a good front-office addition. The major concern voiced at the Canadiens' hiring of Bergevin is the new GM's inexperience, and Dudley should be able to speak to this. The 63-year-old is as veteran a hockey executive as you're going to find. Since he retired as a player in 1982, he's coached in four different leagues, and he's served as the General Manager of the Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Atlanta Thrashers.

Flames shouldn't expect much from Roman Cervenka (The Hockey News)
(Thu, 03 May 2012 11:23:00 PDT)
The signing of the Czech forward is an attempt to gain offense, but here's why he probably won't live up to expectations.

Marc Bergevin named new Montreal Canadiens general manager (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 01 May 2012 23:10:30 PDT)
The Montreal Canadiens have selected Chicago Blackhawks assistant GM Marc Bergevin as their new general manager, as first reported by Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune and later confirmed by the Canadiens, who have a 2 p.m. press conference on Wednesday. And he speaks French! Bergevin, 46, spent several seasons in the Chicago front office, including work as a scout and a stint as director of player personnel. He was an assistant coach under Joel Quenneville with the Blackhawks and played 1,191 games as an NHL defenseman from 1984-2004. One by one, the other candidates for Pierre Gauthier's old job began being eliminated this week. Francois Giguere, former Colorado Avalanche GM, was told he wasn't in the running. Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM Claude Loiselle was also out. In the last few days, the focus has narrowed to Bergevin and NBC Sports analyst Pierre McGuire, as Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated reported they were "the only men given lengthy follow-up interviews after initial phone conversations." A bit about Bergevin from the Globe & Mail: Bergevin, a 45-year-old who was an NHL defenceman for 20 years, is known for his vast network of contacts and McGuire-esque encyclopedic knowledge of players, but he's only been an assistant GM for just over a year (he was a scout for their Cup-winning team), and as a legendary prankster and cut-up doesn't fit the gray-suit-and-milky-tea idiom of the seventh floor at the Bell Centre. While it's not the audacious pick that McGuire or Patrick Roy would have been, or the paradigm-shifting hire that a Pat Brisson (Sidney Crosby's agent) or a Julien BriseBois (the 34-year-old wiz from the Tampa Bay Lightning) would have been, Bergevin's nonetheless an interesting hire.

Sami Lepisto of Blackhawks tweets disgusting leg bruise after blocked shot in playoffs (PHOTO) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 01 May 2012 14:24:05 PDT)
The Phoenix Coyotes eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in six games during the opening round. Chicago defenseman Sami Lepisto, however, received a lovely parting gift after blocking an opponent's shot during the series. OK, maybe "lovely" wasn't the right word: O.M.G. ... That was a photo the 27-year-old Finnish player tweeted on Monday ( @SamiLepisto ), and it quickly became a viral hit on the web via sites like Deadspin and Larry Brown Sports. Lepisto's message that accompanied this image of his deep leg bruise: "This is why I shouldn't be blocking slap shots!" The question then becomes: Which player blasted him in the leg to cause this horror show?

‘HBO 24/7' returning for Season 3 with Red Wings and Maple Leafs, more NHL input (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 01 May 2012 11:03:21 PDT)
After two seasons that changed the way fans see the National Hockey League and its players, NHL COO John Collins confirmed that there will be a Season 3 for "HBO 24/7: Road To The NHL Winter Classic," featuring the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs. "We're bringing it back," Collins told Puck Daddy exclusively on Tuesday, although he said a formal announcement is forthcoming. There was no guarantee "24/7" would come back for a third season, after a change at the top at HBO Sports. The Associated Press speculated in January that HBO could "decide to keep the show, and possibly expand it from its four-week run, or move in a different direction." Collins said there are going to be two significant changes for next season's production, beginning with the fact the NHL will be more involved behind the scenes.

Stanley Cup Playoffs vs. the Rick Nash Derby (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 01 May 2012 07:43:21 PDT)
It's been a surreal offseason for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Celebrating the 2013 NHL All-Star Game, while losing the draft lottery. Finally acknowledging that Steve Mason's been a liability, yet being reminded that good things happen for others when the Blue Jackets jettison talent — 17 former Jackets were in the playoffs, and 10 are still playing, including four critical players for the Phoenix Coyotes. It's only going to get more surreal when the time comes to trade Rick Nash, the team's captain and franchise player. Barring an unprecedented change of heart, he's played his last game with the Blue Jackets; the question now becomes where he plays his next game, and it may be an easier question to answer after the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Elliotte Friedman of CBC touched on this last week: Are the biggest first-round winners Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson and Rick Nash? Look at all the aggressive spenders who lost early. Will they chase Nash, the kind of power forward needed to counter the Western teams who won, i.e. strong, aggressive and smothering over multiple lines? As another GM said, "Even if Zach Parise hits the market, there's not a lot else out there." San Jose is one of the teams Nash would like to go to and the Sharks could use him. "They looked old," said one coach. Wilson doesn't believe in long-term deals, so there is flexibility. Only eight players, all from the core, are signed past next year and only two (Brent Burns, Martin Havlat) into 2015. The difference between Parise and Nash is that everyone is going to be in on Parise. The Carolina Hurricanes were the first ones to informally enter the derby , making the New Jersey Devils forward a top priority. Nash, meanwhile, still has a no-movement clause that will allow him to select the Jackets' dance partner. Have the playoffs added some clarity to that list?

Hitchcock, MacLean, Tortorella up for Adams Award (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:05:45 PDT)
NEW YORK (AP) Ken Hitchcock, Paul MacLean and John Tortorella have been nominated for the Jack Adams Award, which goes to the head coach who has contributed most to his team's success.