How the Last 13 Stanley Cup Champions Didn't Repeat, Part 4: Fan's Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 12:46:00 PDT)
In the past 13 years, all 13 Stanley Cup champions fell short of raising the Cup another consecutive time. The first part of my series looked at how the champions from 1999, 2000 and 2001 failed to repeat. Part two studied how the 2002, 2003 and 2004 champions missed the chance to win again. Last week, part three explained how the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 champions were undone the next year. Finally, this series ends by exploring the way the 2010, 2011 and 2012 champions went home early.

Glendale council takes 1st step in Coyotes sale (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 23:56:55 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Glendale City Council has approved a preliminary budget that includes $17 million to be paid to the prospective buyer of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes for operating costs for the city's Jobing.com Arena.

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?)

Charlie Coyle uses his puck-handling magic to help steer Sea Dogs to another Memorial Cup
(Sat, 19 May 2012 06:47:30 PDT)
Saint John's forward finds inspiration from his family as he provides Sea Dogs fans with thrills and goals – and maybe another CHL title.

Finns, Russia go through, Slovaks upset Canada
(Thu, 17 May 2012 14:23:16 PDT)
Holders Finland advanced to the semi-finals of the world ice hockey championships with a last-gasp winner against the United States on Thursday, but Olympic champions Canada were shocked by Slovakia.

Slovakia ousts Canada 4-3 at ice hockey worlds (The Associated Press)
(Thu, 17 May 2012 08:12:55 PDT)
HELSINKI (AP) San Jose Sharks' Michal Handzus gave Slovakia the winning goal in a 4-3 victory over Canada in the quarterfinals of the ice hockey world championships in Helsinki on Thursday.

Sharks will retain head coach McLellan (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 15:00:10 PDT)
Todd McLellan will be retained as the San Jose Sharks head coach, according to multiple reports, but there may be changes to his staff.

Todd McLellan will return as San Jose Sharks head coach with new assistants, say reports (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 13:42:02 PDT)
Among Elliotte Friedman's "30 Thoughts" this week on CBC Sports: That Todd McLellan, embattled coach of the San Jose Sharks, has already been told he'll return to coach the team in 2012-13: Doug Wilson apparently told Todd McLellan three days after the season ended that the Sharks' bench boss was staying. Odd that there's been no announcement, but it sounds like there is a debate about assistant coaches. McLellan would fight hard for his guys, but the discussion appears to be about adding someone who had a lengthy NHL career. Last week, we mentioned Bryan Marchment as a possible contender. Mike Ricci might be another as both already work for the organization. Would McLellan, though, want to go "off the board" and recruit a former Red Wing? Kevin Kurz of Sharks Insider confirms that it's "become a virtual certainty McLellan will return" to San Jose next season, and throws scout Dirk Graham's name into the hopper for a potential assistant coach. From CSN Bay Area: The Sharks are expected to philosophically alter the way they approach the penalty kill, and also who handles that unit, which finished 29th in the NHL this season and was just 12-for-18 in the playoffs. Woodcroft oversaw the PK this season, but he could get reassigned to other duties within the organization. Many NHL teams employ three assistant coaches, one of which acts as an "eye in the sky" during game play. Had the Sharks missed the playoff cut, McLellan would have been toast. That they made it — barely — means he keeps his gig. Swapping out assistant coaches is usually a harbinger of doom for a head coach — ask Ron Wilson — but in this case it could help address the PK, which was a significant point of failure for the Sharks this season. If nothing else, the McLellan-to-Calgary talk should end.

Tippett talks Game 2; Torres hearing; Dale Hunter Hockey debate (Puck Headlines) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 13:04:35 PDT)
Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • All of this has happened before, and will happen again. (via reader Jon Ward) • Dave Tippett on the keys to Game 2: "First and foremost, if you're not willing to jump in and win a few more one-on-one battles, then the tactical stuff you might as well throw out the window." [ AZ Central ] • Alex Semin on Dale Hunter Hockey: "The whole year it was up-and-down, we win a game, we lose a game. By the time we got to playoffs, the team finally understood how to play the game he wanted, defense first, no mistakes, blocking shots, all five guys together. But during the regular season, intensity is not the same as in the playoffs. In postseason, every goal is worth its weight in gold." [ Russian Machine ] • What on earth did Alex Ovechkin mean about jealousy in the Capitals' locker room? [ Puck Drunk Love ] • Larry Robinson will not be heading to Montreal: "Devils assistant coach and 2000 Cup-winning head coach Larry Robinson vehemently ripped a report suggesting he is interested in joining the new Montreal regime, saying that comments attributed to an agent, whom he called a friend, were five years old and that there has been no such contact or interest." [ NY Post ] • Raffi Torres will watch Gary Bettman deny his appeal on Thursday. [ Sportsnet ] • Oh, it only the Coyotes had moved to Winnipeg; then it would be the Jets making this run in the Western Conference. [ QMI ] • Elliotte Friedman, on Dale Hunter Hockey: "This is where I strongly disagree with statistical analysis, which mocked Hunter's system as being terrible for puck possession and, therefore, determined he was coaching a style that allowed opponents to control the game. This is one where numbers don't tell anything close to the real story. They played hard, they played together and I would've liked to see how things evolved over the offseason. If it's decided that the team must go in a different direction, there are going to be some very unhappy players. It's a delicate balance for McPhee." [ CBC ]

Richards to stay as Columbus coach permanently (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 14 May 2012 13:23:33 PDT)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) When Todd Richards took over the woeful Columbus Blue Jackets in January after the firing of coach Scott Arniel, he was also interviewing for the job.

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.)

Coyotes making hockey cool in the desert again (The Associated Press)
(Fri, 11 May 2012 20:36:15 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Westgate entertainment district is nearly empty, a few people watching their kids play in the fountains, a handful of others scattered among the tables and barstools inside the restaurants and bars.

Maloney and Tippett making it work in Phoenix (The Associated Press)
(Thu, 10 May 2012 17:27:16 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Perched on a seat well above the ice, Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney peers down as the tip of his reading glasses rests between his lips, occasionally putting them on to glance at the papers piled in his lap.

Bettman: Blues status brighter with new ownership (The Associated Press)
(Thu, 10 May 2012 11:21:36 PDT)
ST. LOUIS (AP) NHL commissioner Gary Bettman gave his stamp of approval to new St. Louis Blues ownership, saying the franchise's financial picture is much improved.

The great Dead Puck Era panic of 2012 (Puck Daddy)
(Thu, 10 May 2012 08:00:18 PDT)
If the Washington Capitals win Game 7 on Saturday night and advance to the Eastern Conference Final, it will provide the NHL with one of its most Bizarro World moments in recent memory: The defense-first, sit-on-a-lead, at times monotonous system of the Washington Capitals against the up-tempo, offensively aggressive New Jersey Devils. Just three years ago, this characterization of the respective teams would have earned you a straightjacket and a padded room. Or at least a spot in the Coyotes' new ownership group. The Devils are averaging 3.00 goals per game, while Washington is at 2.15. The New York Rangers are scoring only 2.08 goals per game, and yielding 1.92. The Los Angeles Kings are also averaging 3.00 goals per game, but have been used as an example of boring, conservative defensive hockey because they give up only 1.56 per game. But the real culprit in this alleged turn toward the defensive: The Phoenix Coyotes, who average 2.64 goals per game, give up only 1.91 and are last in the playoffs in shots per game (26.8). And, my god, they're all blocking shots too! Like, lots of them, courtesy of the Rangers and Dale Hunter hockey and fearless players with great padding. Alex Ovechkin is even blocking shots; in the past, the only way that happens is if his opponent accidentally hits him with the puck as Ovi's skating to the red line to cherry pick a pass. So scoring isn't where it should be, fans are complaining about the excitement level of playoff games, the term "Dead Puck Era" is being tossed around again and there's a clamor for rules changes in the next lockout, er, CBA. It's an overreaction, an unnecessary panic, and one that's easily remedied.

Kings get back to work, prepare for Coyotes (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 16:10:00 PDT)
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) Although the Los Angeles Kings are in uncharted playoff territory, they're meeting a familiar opponent there.

Phoenix on a roll headed into series against Kings (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 14:55:25 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Battered and beaten down from a brutal stretch on the road, the Phoenix Coyotes reeled off 11 straight wins in February, knocking off some of the best teams in hockey.

Coyotes eye sale, reach first NHL conference finals
(Tue, 08 May 2012 07:11:28 PDT)
The Phoenix Coyotes got a double dose of good news Monday, advancing to their first conference finals just hours after the league said they had found a buyer for the NHL club.

Phoenix moves on with 2-1 win over Nashville (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 01:42:10 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Phoenix Coyotes had been waiting so long for a new owner that they barely blinked when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced a tentative deal was in place.

Coyotes edge Predators, advance to West finals (The SportsXchange)
(Mon, 07 May 2012 23:10:10 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Phoenix Coyotes keep building momentum -- on the ice and off the ice Monday.

Coyotes 2, Predators 1 (The SportsXchange)
(Mon, 07 May 2012 22:00:20 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Phoenix Coyotes keep building momentum -- on the ice and off the ice Monday.

Greg Jamison gets NHL endorsement for Phoenix Coyotes ownership, as deal to save team progresses (Puck Daddy)
(Mon, 07 May 2012 18:58:32 PDT)
"This was an avail that I think has been speculated about and overhyped," said Commissioner Gary Bettman, as he stood at a podium an hour before the most important game in Phoenix Coyotes history, at a press conference the NHL arranged, in order to detail whether the Coyotes would finally have an owner to spare them from relocation. "We had a series of meetings this afternoon with Greg Jamison and the city of Glendale, and basically the status of things is that we have an understanding with Greg Jamison that we're going to proceed with he and his group to reach a formal agreement for the purchase and sale of the Coyotes," said Bettman. "While Greg is working on that with us, he's also going to simultaneously look to conclude an agreement with the city of Glendale" In essence, this was Greg Jamison's debut as the latest suitor for the Coyotes — the fourth public one by any measure save for Bettman's, who disagreed with the number. The former COO of the San Jose Sharks, Jamison said he has a "group that's excited about going forward as the owners of the Phoenix Coyotes. We have a group that cares deeply about the National Hockey League, about hockey and about youth hockey." Who's in is group? Jamison will reveal it at a later date. What's the timeline for completing the deal? Bettman wouldn't give a date, but hoped it was weeks rather than months. Will there be an out clause in whatever lease agreement Jamison's group strikes with the city of Glendale? It wasn't asked. So the press conference didn't tell us much. But it happened. And that's real takeaway on Monday night — that the NHL felt comfortable enough with the bid, the financing and the progress with the city behind the scenes to announce a tentative agreement an hour before Game 5 between the Coyotes and Nashville Predators. We've had so many false starts, so many dead ends in this 2-year ordeal that the process invites cynicism. The finish line is visible, but it's surrounded by quicksand and landmines and quicksand with land mines in it (that's, like, really dangerous). The NHL is laying it on the line with everyone from the media to Coyotes fans: Be cynical, be cautious, but this time it's going to be different. "The future we believe is very bright," said Jamison.

Coyotes a step closer to having an owner (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 07 May 2012 18:44:11 PDT)
PHOENIX (AP) The Phoenix Coyotes are a step close to having an owner after three years of waiting.