Recently by Tim Wharnsby
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Hockey Night in Canada
Fraser and Kings' 4th line provided a spark in opener
In the Los Angeles Kings' 15th playoff outing, a 2-1 overtime victory against the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup curtain raiser on Wednesday, that depth was on display once again.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL and NHLPA will soon begin CBA talks
The CBA was one of several topics NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke about in his annual pre-Stanley Cup final state-of-the-union address. NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr was in attendance to listen to Bettman speak in the bowels of the Prudential Center and afterwards the NHLPA boss held his own Q-and-A session with reporters.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Devils need a big series from Martin Brodeur
Three things you need to know about the opening game of the Stanley Cup final between the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Wednesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Anze Kopitar has admirers in his teammates and opponents
Anze Kopitar's hometown in Slovenia is not far from the Austrian border, and it was seven years ago in Innsbruck, Austria that a 17-year-old Kopitar had his coming out party as a teenage hockey sensation at the 2005 world championship. He's turning even more heads in his Los Angeles Kings bid to beat the New Jersey Devils for the Stanley Cup title.
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LA vs NJ
Bob Hoffmeyer one of Devils GM Lamoriello's loyal scouts
Climbing back into the saddle for the Stanley Cup final never gets old
for the New Jersey Devils, especially if you have been around the
organization as long as pro scout Bob Hoffmeyer.
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Hockey Night in Canada
From Ferreira to Robinson, the intriguing individuals of the Cup final
Here are a dozen intriguing individuals to get to know as the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils prepare to meet in the championship series opener in Newark on Wednesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Devils have plenty to prove in final versus Kings
Two unlikely combatants will meet in the 2012 Stanley Cup final. But the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings have survived and will meet for the championship on Wednesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
New Habs assistant GM has had mixed results
New Montreal Canadiens assistant general manager Rick Dudley has had mixed results in the past 14 years as he bounced around from the Ottawa Senators to the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Florida Panthers to the Chicago Blackhawks to the Atlanta Thrashers and his one season with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Penner has been a playoff plus for Kings
The past six weeks have gone extremely well for Dustin Penner and the Los Angeles Kings in their unexpected run to the Stanley Cup final and the 29-year-old from Winkler, Man., who scored his team's series-clinching overtime winner in the Western Conference final, sure needed an upturn in his life.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Coyotes upset with the way season ended
Captain Shane Doan and Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith expressed their frustration with the officiating in the Western Conference final finale, shortly after Dustin Penner scored his first career overtime goal to send his Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup final.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Kings seeking 1st visit to Stanley Cup final since 1993
Three things you need to know about Game 5 of the NHL Western Conference final between the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday. Kings lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Adrian Aucoin is one patient dude
By our count, Phoenix Coyotes defenceman Adrian Aucoin played in 1,393 games before he suited up for his first game in the West final in Los Angeles against the Kings on Sunday, a 2-0 win to pull Phoenix within 3-1 in the series. Game 5 is set for Jobing.Com Arena on Tuesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Coyotes finally have their day against Kings
As much as the Phoenix Coyotes were better as a unit in their 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, it was difficult to ignore the contributions of two elder statesmen in captain Shane Doan and defenceman Adrian Aucoin.
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Hockey Night in Canada
L.A. rookie Dwight King has Saskatchewan hometown abuzz
Unless you have been invited to the home of Donna and Dwayne King, or the residence of their eldest son D.J., the best place in Meadow Lake, Sask., to watch a Los Angeles Kings' game these days is at the Milltown Sports Bar on 9th Street.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks have company in embellishment accusations
The Vancouver Canucks now have company in being charged, tried and convicted of embellishment. After Los Angeles' 2-1 victory for a 3-0 West final lead on Thursday, Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett wasn't pleased with the Kings taking their close proximity to Hollywood a little bit too seriously with their acting skills.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Stoll making the most of his second long playoff ride
While the Los Angeles Kings have received contributions from their entire roster this playoffs, it was Jarret Stoll's turn to shine in Los Angeles' 2-1 win on Thursday. With his checking ability, his doggedness as a penalty killer and his hard work to help set up linemate Dwight King's game-winner early in the third period, Stoll was very noticeable in the Kings' eighth win.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Up 2-0 and at home is familiar situation for Kings
Here are three elements you need to know about Game 3 of the West final between the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday. The Kings lead the series 2-0.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Without Hanzal, Coyotes need Vermette to step up
With Martin Hanzal suspended for Game 3 of the Western Conference final on Thursday, the Phoenix Coyotes will need even more from one of their playoff heroes in the first two rounds, dependable centre Antoine Vermette.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Kings hound the puck and pile up wins
As shocked as some may be that the Los Angeles Kings flew home with a 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Coyotes in the West final on Tuesday, and need only two more wins to advance to their first Stanley Cup final in 19 years, the Kings are not staggered by their playoff success.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Coyotes need to contain Kopitar and Co. in Game 2
The Los Angeles Kings top line of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Justin Williams was flying in the series opener. They fired 15 shots on goal and the Phoenix Coyotes did not have an answer for the trio. They need to contain Kopitar and Co. in order to have a chance to bounce back in Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Tippett's deft touch will be tested against the Kings
Dave Tippett has exhibited throughout his coaching NHL coaching career that he can squeeze plenty of juice out of teams lacking in star power. That Midas touch will be needed once again if the Phoenix Coyotes bounce back after their miserable 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in the West final opener.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Brown and Kings dominant in West final opener
One of the heroes for the Los Angeles Kings in their West final opener was captain Dustin Brown. He sored the game-winner and set up another to continue his fine Conn Smythe-like playoff run.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Coyotes out to stop King-sized road warriors
The Los Angeles Kings have gone a perfect 5-0 on the road in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs and hope to continue this trend in Phoenix against the Coyotes in the opener of the Western Conference final on Sunday.
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NYR VS NJ
Rangers-Devils storylines
The Hudson River rivalry got quite a kickstart in 1994, when the Rangers
beat the Devils in double overtime with a Stephane Matteau goal and
then went on to win the Stanley Cup. The next season the Devils captured
their first Stanley Cup and two more since.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Holtby aims to continue his amazing story
Most of the hockey world has been talking about the confident, unflappable 22-year-old Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby, wondering what's in store for him in Game 7 of his second-round series against New York Rangers on Saturday evening.
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Playoffs 2012
Coyotes-Kings storylines
Tim Wharnsby lays out some of the things to watch for in the Western Conference final between the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes, and, unsurprisingly, predicts a seven-game series.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Coyotes' Shane Doan savours rare opportunity
After 1,198 regular-season games and 50 more playoff outings, 35-year-old Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan will embark on his first visit to the conference final, when his Coyotes meet the Los Angeles Kings in the West final opener on Sunday. He may be the sentimental favourite to finally win a Stanley Cup among those of his vintage who remain in the playoffs.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Sean Simpson may be on NHL teams' radars
Sean Simpson caught the hockey world by surprise two-and-a-half years ago when he steered ZSC Zurich Lions to an upset 2-1 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks in the exhibition Victoria Cup in Sept. 2010. The native of Brampton, Ont., who also coaches the Swiss national team, almost pulled off another upset over Canada at the world championship.
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Subway Bio
Undrafted underdog Jay Beagle proving worth for Washington
Long before Jay Beagle emerged as an important component in the Washington Capitals unexpected, but impressive postseason run, he already had carved out a reputation as someone who played his best when the games matter the most, in the playoffs.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Quebec City awaits to see if Jamison group is for real
It's easy to be cynical the latest bid to buy the Phoenix Coyotes. We've heard this song before. As a result, it's difficult to take Greg Jamison's bid to buy the NHL team seriously.
- Hockey Night in Canada Mark Hunter has big brother Dale's back These are strange, but exciting times for the Dale and Mark Hunter. Dale has the Washington Capitals thinking upset in the second-round of the playoffs against the New York Rangers. Mark has his London Knights engaged in the OHL final against the Niagara IceDogs.
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Subway Bio
Unheralded Purcell pursues gold with Canada
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Teddy Purcell, along with Alex Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks, are the only undrafted NHL players with Canada and the only two who will pull on a Canadian sweater at any level for the first time in their careers at the 2012 world hockey championship in Helsinki this week.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Bowman was never called, but endorses Bergevin hiring
New Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin is quick with a quip and he is an all-star prankster. He also is passionate hockey person, a natural leader who attracts a crowd wherever he goes and a sound communicator. But he's persevered through some difficult times.
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Hockey Night in Canada
From Russia with not so much love
The team-imposed one-game suspension for Nashville Predators forward Alexander Radulov and his Belarusian teammate, Andrei Kostitsyn, for missing curfew was the latest challenge for Russian players in this three-week-old playoff run.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Coyotes' off-ice issues take back seat to on-ice success
Whenever we mention the future of the Phoenix Coyotes, the fine people in Quebec City get too excited, people in the NHL's New York office get too upset and the people in Glendale, they, well, yawn. For now, head coach Dave Tippett, his goalie Mike Smith and the rest of the Coyotes have been providing the excitement.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Pumper Nicholls trying to pump offence into Kings
At a time when goals are harder to come by the Los Angeles Kings have increased their production in the playoffs compared to the regular season. One of the reasons for this slight increase may be the work of former Kings goal-scoring machine Bernie Nicholls.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Offensive questions highlight East semifinals
New York Rangers right-winger Marian Gaborik scored 41 times in the regular season, but had just one goal in a first-round playoff series win over Ottawa. He needs to get his act together against the Washington Capitals in Round 2, says CBCSports.ca senior hockey writer Tim Wharnsby.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Goalie battles highlight West semifinals
CBCSports.ca's Tim Wharnsby offers his three storylines for both semifinals matchups in the Western Conference.
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Hockey Night in Canada
No Canadian clubs left? No problem
Next spring will mark 20 years since the last Canadian team, the Montreal Canadiens, won the Stanley Cup. But since we're a bunch of positive thinkers here at CBCSports.ca - and, of course, we want you to keep watching Hockey Night in Canada - we're here to help put a cheerful spin on the fact no Canadian team has advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1996.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Senators need to be there in crunch time for their captain
Under rookie head coach Paul MacLean, the Ottawa Senators have been the Cardiac Kids all season long. They have authored third period comebacks. They have stopped losing slides with timely win streaks. But do they have one more comeback in them for their captain, Daniel Alfredsson?
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Hockey Night in Canada
Gillis in full defence mode of his fallen Canucks
Vancouver Canucks general manager Gillis defended his decision to trade Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian, his head coach Alain Vigneault and the character of his hockey team in his season-ending address. He also believed his team experienced a mental letdown after their emotional 4-3 win in Boston on Jan. 7 against the team that beat the Canucks in the final 10 1/2 months ago.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Vancouver has another playoff failure to deal with
There was the devastation from a Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup final against the Boston Bruins. Then, the destruction of a city afterwards. Now there is more heartbreak for Vancouverites to deal with over another Canucks playoff failure.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks hope they have right home formula
A fourth consecutive playoff loss at Rogers Arena will end the season for the Vancouver Canucks and plunge them into an offseason of uncertainty. The Canucks turn to Cory Schneider and a "talkative" line to avoid that outcome.
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PHX VS CHI
Torres suspension adds to confusion on headshot rulings: Vigneault
The stiff suspension to Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres raised some eyebrows in the Canucks' dressing room. "In my opinion [Torres's hit] was closer to being a hockey play - finishing his check late - than Duncan Keith on Danny [Sedin]," says Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault.
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VAN VS LA
Canucks' Luongo puts team first, backs Schneider
Roberto Luongo won't mope around his Vancouver Canucks teammates even though the veteran goalie's future with the team is in flux after he lost his starting job to Cory Schneider. "The last thing I want to be is a distraction for my teammates."
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Hockey Night in Canada
Luongo, Sedin talk taking over Canucks series
With a three-day layoff between games, the Vancouver Canucks may lose some momentum after finally breaking through for a 3-1 victory in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings with Daniel Sedin back in the lineup on Wednesday. There also is this matter of goalie Roberto Luongo's future with Canucks.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Schneider, Daniel Sedin ride to Canucks rescue
Netminder Cory Schneider was excellent and Daniel Sedin made an immediate impact for the Vancouver Canucks, even though he was playing in his first game since he suffered a concussion four weeks ago. As a result, the Canucks finally beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 on Wednesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks' Daniel Sedin expects to play, Schneider to start
Down 3-0 to the Los Angeles Kings, the Vancouver Canucks face elimination in Game 4 at the Staples Center Wednesday night (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 10 p.m. ET). Cory Schneider will start in goal and Daniel Sedin expects to make his return to the lineup for the first time since he suffered a concussion on March 21.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Daniel Sedin skates, still game-time decision
Daniel Sedin practised with his teammates for the first time in nine days. But whether he will return to the Vancouver Canucks lineup on Wednesday for Game 4 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings will not be determined until game time.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Daniel Sedin will practice with Canucks, but will he play?
Daniel Sedin has been out with a concussion since Mar. 21. Whether he will play against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 remains to be seen. But he has been cleared to practice with his teammates once again after a setback he suffered last week. A determination on his availability to suit up for action will be made sometime before puck drop at the Staples Center on Wednesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks 'probably deserved better': Schneider
In a matter of 10 months, the Vancouver Canucks have gone from the brink of claiming the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship to being bounced in the first round. And the way the series has developed against goalie Jonathan Quick and the upset-minded Los Angeles Kings has been eerily similar to the way the Canucks finished up against the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final last spring.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks turn to Schneider for Game 3
After back-to-back losses at home to the Los Angeles Kings, the Vancouver Canucks will turn to backup goaltender Cory Schneider in the hopes of turning around their fortunes in the first-round playoff series.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Will the Canucks turn to Schneider?
How does Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault get his team turned around? With his team down 2-0 in its first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, Vigneault confirmed Daniel Sedin would travel to Los Angeles with the Canucks. So will the Canucks coach start backup goalie Cory Schneider to shake things up?
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks need Bruins-like effort to bounce back
The Vancouver Canucks find themselves in the same predicament as the Stanley Cup-champion Boston Bruins did when they began their successful run. Like the Bruins last year, the Canucks lost two games at home to open up the 2012 playoffs.
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VAN VS LA
Canucks need improvement in all areas for Game 2
Besides staying out of the penalty box, winning more puck battles and getting more second-chance opportunities on Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, the Canucks also need to perform better in man-advantage situations.
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VAN VS LA
Canucks take Kings twitter shot in stride
There were the predictable windbags in the Twitter universe whose aim has been to rile the Vancouver Canucks faithful with tweets about Ryan Kesler's diving, Alex Burrows embellishments and Max Lapierre's smirks. But the biggest blow came from an unusual source, the Los Angeles Kings.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks have identity crisis
The Vancouver Canucks may be suffering from an identity crisis. They advanced to the seventh game of the Cup final last spring because of their superior skill. But now they wanted to be tougher. They wanted to be the Western version of the Boston Bruins. It's evident they are not there yet.
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NHL
Canucks will miss Daniel Sedin in series opener
The Vancouver Canucks will be without their top sniper Daniel Sedin when they open up their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. Sedin suffered a concussion last month and missed the final nine games of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Kings will welcome back Jeff Carter from his bruised ankle ailment.
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VAN VS LA
Kings will be no pushover for Canucks
Facing the Darryl Sutter-coached Calgary Flames proved to be a nightmare matchup for the Canucks eight years ago, and we get a sense that Sutter's Los Angeles Kings will be no pushover in the first round this spring, even though the Kings required 81 games to lock up a playoff spot.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Final concussions and suspensions list
Concussions and suspensions continue to be two hot topics as the 2011-12 NHL season unfolds.
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NHL
Spezza deals with life's adversity and now the playoffs
Jason Spezza and his No. 8 Ottawa Senators will begin their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series against the No. 1 New York Rangers on Thursday, and few are playing better than Spezza entering the playoffs. All this even though his close friend, Canadian ski-crosser Nick Zoricic passed away in a competition in Switzerland on Mar. 10, and his wife Jennifer gave birth to the couple's second child, Nicola, on Apr. 1.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Kings will be no pushover for Canucks
Facing the Darryl Sutter-coached Calgary Flames proved to be a nightmare matchup for the Canucks eight years ago, and we get a sense that Sutter's Los Angeles Kings will be no pushover in the first round this spring, even though the Kings required 81 games to lock up a playoff spot.
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First Round
Penguins against Flyers may be toughest series
This is the match-up everyone is looking forward to. Two great teams who hold really don't like each other.
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First Round
Florida Panthers Stanely Cup run may be short
The Florida Panthers are happy to be back in the playoffs, but it doesn't look like like they will make it beyond the first round.
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First Round
Boston Bruins should dominate Washington Capitals
The defending Stanley Cup champions should be able to easily handle the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.
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First Round
N.Y. Rangers should be able defeat Ottawa Senators
The New York Rangers should be able to handle the Ottawa Senators, even though in the regular season the Senators dominated the match-up.
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First Round
Detroit Red Wings will be in tough against Nashville Predators
The Detroit Red Wings have a long and proud playoff tradition. That experience may propel them past the Predators in round one.
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First Round
Phoenix Coyotes could take out Blackhawks
The Phoenix Coyotes are playing well and may be able to take down the Blackhawks. It will be interesting to see how much controversy there is around the Coyotes and the team's future.
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First Round
St. Louis Blues look to dominate San Jose Sharks
Tim Wharnsby takes this look at the series between the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks.
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First Round
Canucks series will go the distance
The theory is that the first place team starts off easily in the playoffs, but that isn't going to be the case for the Canucks as they take on the Kings.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Stanley Cup often won by hottest team going into playoffs
Which is the hottest team entering the playoffs? Which club enjoyed the most improvement? Which team made the biggest dip?
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Hockey Night in Canada
Can the Canucks get back to the final?
Here is a look at the four opening-round series in the Western Conference.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Can the Senators pull off 1st-round upset in the East?
Here is a glance at the four opening-round playoff series in the Eastern Conference.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Sad-sack seasons for Leafs and Habs about to end
So this is what it has come to? The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs meet on the final night of the regular season and the disenchanted fan bases for both clubs hope their teams conclude the year of discontent with a loss.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Concussion numbers were staggering in NHL's 2011-12
Will concussions continue to be a problem when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin next week. We'll see. But we do know the numbers from the regular season were staggering. Almost 90 players and 1,700 man games will be lost to head injuries or concussion-related symptoms.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL Power Rankings: Final Week
In the season finale edition of our NHL power rankings, we make our picks for a Stanley Cup final matchup: The St. Louis Blues beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games. If the Blues can continue their stingy defence-first ways they will be a difficult opponent to beat in a seven-game series.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canadian-influenced Union College shoots for NCAA title
The underdog Union College Dutchmen, which have 14 Canadians from five different provinces on the roster, have followed rookie coach Rick Bennett's direction this season. They compete in the NCAA rozen Four championship in Tampa Bay this week with Ferris State, Boston College and Minnesota.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Good thing Steve Staios didn't retire last summer
Steve Staios almost retired last summer. Instead his agent talked him out of it and this week the 38-year-old defenceman will play in his 1,000th NHL game.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Healthy on-ice mindset part of Matt Cooke's transformation
A smile always has come easy to Matt Cooke, even in his previous life as an NHL bad boy. Sometimes it was a mischievous grin. Sometimes it was a smirk. These days, the 33-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins forward has plenty to smile about.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Why not Larry Carriere as Habs' next GM?
One guy who wasn't mentioned much as a candidate to become the next general manager of the Montreal Canadiens is right under owner Geoff Molson's nose in 60-year-old Montreal native Larry Carriere. Carriere is respected in the hockey community and is admired in the business community in Montreal.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL Power Rankings: Week 26
Three straight wins have propelled the Sharks from the dangerous territory of
not making the playoffs to third in the Western Conference and up seven spots in our weekly NHL power rankings.
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Subway Bio
Jets' Spencer Machacek pushing for full-time spot in NHL
Sure Spencer Machacek ideally would have liked to secure a roster
spot with the Winnipeg Jets last October and enjoy one of the best home-rink
atmospheres in the NHL. But the consolation prize was pretty good. He would continue his days in
the AHL with the new St. John's IceCaps in one of the best minor-league
environments at Mile One Centre.
- Hockey Night in Canada V stands for victory in Penticton with the Vees After the Penticton Vees reeled off their astounding record of 42 victories in a row, all of sudden the dominant bunch suffered a scare with a few losses in the British Columbia Hockey League. But they have rebounded and have moved on to the conference final.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL is unmoved about Quebec City's arena plans
The National Hockey League appeared unfazed by the announcement that Quebec City plans to begin building an 18,000-seat, $400-million NHL-style rink in September.
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Hockey Night in Canada
There is no joy in Vancouver with Keith's suspension
Less than 48 hours after Duncan Keith hit Daniel Sedin in the kisser with an elbow, Shanahan ruled that Chicago Blackhawks defenceman deserved a five-game suspension. He will return on the final weekend of the regular season. There is no such certainty surrounding Sedin's situation.
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Hockey Night in Canada
UNB's Clendenning shares his hockey with family
Jordan Clendenning's hockey journey has taken him from his hometown of Woodstock, N.B., down the Saint John River to Fredericton for midget, four hours north to Acadie-Bathurst for junior, then out of province to Cape Breton, and back to Fredericton again. He will share his final days playing for the New Brunswick Varsity Reds with his family at the 50th University Cup national championship.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 25
The Pittsburgh Penguins did nothing to dislodge them from the top spot of our NHL Power Rankings, while the Florida Panthers growled their way up the assessment. Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators slipped down.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby and the Penguins are on the right track
Sidney Crosby's second comeback is definitely on track. It may not be on a fast track, but what's the hurry? The 24-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S. learned a hard lesson last time, not to do too much, too soon. Besides, time is on his side.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Jets had no chance against Crosby and Co.
Only the Columbus Blue Jackets have fewer road wins than the Winnipeg Jets' 11 this season. But going up against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in Pittsburgh was not setting for the Jets to correct their road woes.
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Hockey Night in Canada
All in the family for the Folignos
These are good times for the close-knit Folignos. Nick has set a career high with 41 points in his fifth season with the Ottawa Senators while younger brother Marcus is off to a flying start with the Buffalo Sabres, with five goals and seven points in his first six games.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby returns to help Pens win 10th in a row
This time, the Pittsburgh Penguins eased captain Sidney Crosby back in after his 40-game, 100-day absence from action following his latest concussion/neck injury setback. He didn't disappoint as the Penguins scored an impressive 5-2 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 24
The Pittsburgh Penguins get Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang back from injuries on Thursday, when they begin an important three-game road trip that sees them play the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Bettman won't set deadline for potential Coyotes move
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stated there are no contingency schedules
being drawn up in case the Phoenix Coyotes will be relocated to Quebec
City, Seattle or even Kansas City. The NHL commissioner also refused to set a deadline for when the Coyotes
mess has to be settled before the league relocates the franchise.
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NHL
Radulov's potential return to Nashville riles NHL GMs
BOCA RATON, FLA. - The Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues were not
pleased that their division rival Nashville Predators have been given a
break in the Alexander Radulov case.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly informed the general managers on Day 2
of their meetings in South Florida that the NHL and NHLPA have agreed
not to subject Radulov to waivers if he decides to rejoin the Predators
after a four-season hiatus. This clears the way for the 25-year-old
Russian to return to Nashville for the remainder of the regular season
and/or the playoffs.
The meeting did not turn contentious, but there was word that behind the
scenes on Monday evening Red Wings general manager Ken Holland and his
Blues counterpart Doug Armstrong were not pleased that the Predators had
been given a break.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Defensive hand passes and hybrid icing top GM to-do list
The two main matters on Day 1 of the GM meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., that the general managers were keen on putting into effect were hybrid icings to avoid injuries in a race for the puck and they want to eliminate hand passes in the defensive zone.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Carlyle has helped Maple Leafs' cause, just not enough
The Toronto Maple Leafs don't have much hope of making a late-season run to a playoff berth, but they do have more hope under new coach Randy Carlyle than they did under Ron Wilson.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Holland, Babcock agree on most things, but not red-line
When the NHL general managers assemble in South Florida on Monday and Tuesday, one of the topics of debate will be whether to keep the centre line out as the game has been played the past seven seasons or put it back in to slow the game down.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Steve Shields' journey from California to Michigan Tech
Would you leave sunny Southern California - stunning, coastal Newport Beach to be exact - for a frigid winter on northern Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, about a five-hour drive west of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.? Former NHL goalie Steve Shields did, all to help out a former coach and start a new career of his own.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 23
Do you consider the St. Louis Blues a legitimate Stanley Cup contender? Why not? They keep rolling along and as a result have regained top spot in our weekly power rankings. The week wasn't as kind to San Jose.
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Hockey Night in Canada
U.S. college hockey free-agent season revs up
As different schools are eliminated leading up to the Frozen Four in Tampa Bay at the St. Pete Times Forum, Apr. 5-7, expect some U.S. College free-agent signings over the next few weeks. We have compiled our proverbial (Hobey) baker's dozen of U.S. College players who soon will land contracts.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Success at worlds before Olympics needed for Canada
Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson made it clear that he is unhappy with this country's performance at recent world championships. Leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympics, he would like to see Canada play better at the world championships after a seventh-place showing in 2010, followed up by a fifth-place finish at the world championship last spring.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Wilson's tenure another miserable Leafs chapter
Ron Wilson was finally fired as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday evening. His four-year stint is just another sorry chapter in the history of an organization that has fallen on some sad-sack times since their last Stanley Cup championship 45 years ago.
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Hockey Night in Canada
7 NHL storylines to watch
The 2011-12 NHL season officially hit the third-quarter mark this week. There are only five weekends before the Stanley Cup playoffs roll around. So with the trade deadline in the rear-view mirror, here are seven storylines to follow in the final quarter of the regular season.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Young Karlsson has put together a season for the ages
There haven't been many NHL defencemen as young as Erik Karlsson to exhibit the kind of offensive skill from the blue-line position in a long time. In fact, there haven't been many recent NHL defenceman at any age to put up the sort offensive numbers that the young Ottawa Senator has checked in with this season.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 22
The New York Rangers returned to top spot in Tim Wharnsby's NHL Power Rankings, while the Ottawa Senators vaulted themselves into the top 10 in week 22.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks rolled the dice with Hodgson-for-Kassian trade
Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis and his Boston Bruins counterpart Peter Chiarelli tinkered rather than overhauled their rosters at the NHL trade deadline a year ago, and their clubs wound up in the Stanley Cup final three months later.The guy who has a championship ring, Chiarelli, traveled a similar path this time around. Gillis did not - shipping out Cody Hodgson in a risky move for Zack Kassian.
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Hockey Night in Canada
No urgency in Maple Leafs game before trade deadline
The push for a playoff spot has been more like a retreat for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals in the past two weeks. But one of these struggling Eastern Conference clubs had to win when the Maple Leafs and Capitals met up at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday evening. Much to the disappointment of Toronto fans, Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals prevailed with an easy 4-2 victory, even though they played the night before at home.
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Trade Deadline
Will Nash now follow Carter out of Columbus?
Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson is far from done trading after getting rid of Jeff Carter and Antoine Vermette this week. He still would like to trade veteran Samuel Pahlsson and a few others off the Columbus roster before the Monday deadline. And, of course, he also has been listening to offers for Rick Nash. But now that Carter has been shipped out, what are the chances of a Nash trade in the next four days?
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks' Booth will finally play in hometown, Detroit
Vancouver Canucks forward David Booth is in his seventh NHL season and will play in his 344th career game on Thursday, but this will be his first outing in his hometown of Detroit.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL Power Rankings: Week 21
The Chicago Blackhawks snapped Detroit's six-game win streak with Pavel
Datsyuk out of the lineup on Tuesday, but that didn't prevent the Red
Wings from soaring to the top of the NHL standings with their
record-setting 23 consecutive wins at home
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Hockey Night in Canada
Devils' DeBoer and Clarkson have been a winning combination
So has New Jersey Devils right wing David Clarkson been better for head coach Peter DeBoer's career or has DeBoer been better for Clarkson? DeBoer chuckled when he heard the question.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Red Wings almost lost latest hero to Lokomotiv
Nothing has come easy for the Detroit Red Wings' latest hero, goalie Joey MacDonald. The native of Pictou, N.S. finally found his way in the NHL with his recent run. But he almost wound up in Russia playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the Russian team that was wiped out by a tragic plane crash last September.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Maple Leafs are in for nail-biting final seven weeks
With the Feb. 27 NHL trade deadline fast approaching, we have taken a look at the situations with each of the seven Canadian clubs over the past week. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the final team to slip into our hot seat on Sunday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canucks appear set to take another shot at the title
With the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 27 fast approaching, we have taken a look at the situations with each of the seven Canadian clubs. The Vancouver Canucks have slipped into our hot seat on Saturday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL poll: Should instigator rule be abolished?
The NHL's instigator rule has been debated since it was implemented in 1992. It was put in to curb fighting, but the rule has continued to be debated whether the infraction has been necessary.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Jets likely will be grounded on trade deadline day
With the NHL trade deadline less than two weeks away, we have been taking a look at the situations with each of the seven Canadian clubs. The Winnipeg Jets slip into our hot seat on Friday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Swift rebuild has Senators in different position in 2012
With the NHL trade deadline less than two weeks away, we have been taking a look at the situations with each of the seven Canadian clubs. The Ottawa Senators have slipped into our hot seat on Thursday.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 20
The St. Louis Blues couldn't handle the heat. We put them right there in our top spot of the weekly power rankings seven days ago, and what do they do, they drop a close 2-1 decision to the worst team of them all, the Columbus Blue Jackets, on Tuesday. That slipup cost the Blues our No. 1 billing, and enabled the New York Rangers to climb back into first. Yes, we know the Detroit Red Wings currently occupy the penthouse in the overall standings. But the Rangers have three games in hand and are only one point back of Detroit.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Habs need good trade deadline day to ease painful season
With the NHL trade deadline less than two weeks away, we have been taking a look at the situations with each of the seven Canadian clubs. The Montreal Canadiens have slipped into our hot seat on Wednesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Oilers face difficult decisions
With the NHL trade deadline less than two weeks away, this week we'll take a look at the situations with each of the seven Canadian clubs. The Edmonton Oilers have slipped into our hot seat on Tuesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Flames need better health for a playoff push
With the NHL trade deadline two weeks away, we'll take a look this week at the situations with each of the seven Canadian clubs, beginning with the Calgary Flames on Monday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
PEI hockey players are proud and inspire each other
Gerard Gallant had Errol Thompson. Brad Richards had Gallant. Mark Flood and Adam McQuaid had Richards. Somewhere down the line there will be other hockey players from Prince Edward Island who will be inspired by McQuaid or Flood.
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Hockey Day
Memorial Cup-champion Sea Dogs have plenty of PEI flavour
When the Saint John Sea Dogs line up against the Prince Edward Island Rocket at the Charlottetown Civic Centre as part of Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada on Saturday afternoon, they will take the visitors' bench. But in many respects, the defending Memorial Cup-champion Sea Dogs will be the home team.
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Hockey Day
P.E.I.'s Billy McMillan has a unique story
From Charlottetown to St. Mike's to St. Dunstan's to the national team to the NHL and back to the Island, Billy MacMillan's story is truly unique.
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Hockey Day
PEI hockey was all the rage in 1965 with St. Dunstan's
The St. Dunstan's Saints warmed hearts in P.E.I. in a cold rink in 1965, coached by Jack Kane Jr., father of Canada's best ever female golfer.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 19
We have a new leader in the power rankings in the St. Louis Blues. It's hard to ignore what the Blues have done since Ken Hitchcock took over behind the bench.
They have yielded a league-low 2.46 goals per game and the goaltending tandem of Jaroslav Halek and Brian Elliott have been difficult to beat.
Chat it up below or @wharnscbcsports.
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Hockey Day
PEI remains a big part of Joel Ward today
Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward wasn't sure what to expect when he first attended the University of Prince Edward Island over 10 years ago, but he came to love the place, and visits whenever he can.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Forbes Kennedy still has plenty of fight
The annual Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada will celebrate Prince Edward Island on Saturday. The land of Anne of Green Gables, potatoes and Stompin' Tom Connors may be the smallest province in Canada, but its hockey tradition is rich and full of characters.
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Hockey Night in Canada
There is nothing small about Haydar's accomplishments
Darren Haydar, the accomplished Chicago Wolves right wing has piled up points, accolades and championships wherever he has played. Yet, the native of Milton, Ont. does not harbour a fleck of bitterness that he never received a decent shot at a full-time NHL gig.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Goal scoring down despite Gagner's magical night
There have been 26 games since the NHL all-star break and we've seen a bit of everything. We have seen low-scoring games like the 1-0 shootout win from the New York Rangers in Buffalo on Wednesday to Sam Gagner's incredible eight-point outing in the run-and-gun 8-4 win from the Edmonton Oilers at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby's plight familiar to junior player Troock
Like Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who after a lengthy battle with concussion-like symptoms was recently diagnosed with a soft-tissue neck injury, 17-year-old Branden Troock endured a similar state of affairs.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 18
There may not be a change at the top, but the Devils and Ducks rise, while the Senators and Blues take a bit of a dip in the latest edition of the NHL Power Rankings.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Playoff number crunching for Canadian contingent
If the playoffs were to begin right now the only Canadian representation in the postseason would be the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators, the same number of Canadian teams in the playoffs last season with the Canucks and the Montreal Canadiens. How many Canadian teams will be playing this spring?
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby skates, hockey world awaits update
Sidney Crosby continued to skate towards a comeback on Monday, but there was no further update on his status after it was revealed on the weekend that he suffered a neck injury in addition to the concussion problems he has endured for the past year.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Alfredsson shone brighter than All-Star Game
There were so many periphery issues that enveloped the NHL All-Star weekend. But after each issue had run its course the NHL All-Star festivities always returned to Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Elliott bounces back all the way to Ottawa
St. Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott was almost run out of the league after a dismal season last year. But he has battled back, all the way back to return to Ottawa as an NHL all-star this weekend.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Bettman hoping for painless, quick labour talks
NHL Players' Association executive director Donald Fehr and league commissioner Gary Bettman plan to meet next week, but whether this will be the beginning of informal discussions on a new collective agreement remains to be seen.
The two do meet periodically, but neither Fehr nor Bettman would predict when negotiations on a new collective agreement would become serious.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Datsyuk tops among his all-star peers
Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara made Pavel Datsyuk the first pick in the all-star fantasy draft on Thursday because Chara has long admired the quiet and efficient ways of the Detroit Red Wings star and believes Datsyuk has been one of the most difficult opponents to go up against.
- Hockey Night in Canada NHL labour talks: The issues Nearly seven years of labour peace in the National Hockey League is about to face some significant challenges. The league and the players have indicated that the preliminary steps in negotiating a new collective agreement will take place following the NHL all-star weekend in Ottawa. How much tumult we will see between the two sides will be an indicator of how contentious these talks will become as the NHL and NHLPA get closer to a mid-September to get a new deal.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 17
The Detroit Red Wings have the fewest fighting majors in the NHL this season at seven, but they certainly exhibited plenty of fight in their game against the hard-hitting St. Louis Blues on Monday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Thomas should have sucked it up
Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was called an idiot for skipping his team's visit to the White House. But we wonder how much this episode will tarnish his underdog story.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Former Leaf Van Ryn turns into hot coaching prospect
Mike Van Ryn always suspected one day he would continue his life in hockey as a coach. He just didn't know it would be this soon. The former NHL defenceman is only 32. But his career was cut short a couple of seasons ago because of a knee injury that was so severe the London, Ont. native underwent an asteotomy, a procedure that realigns the knee joint.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Maple Leafs were lucky to land Lupul
Let's face it, the Toronto Maple Leafs were lucky to acquire Joffrey Lupul 49 weeks ago when he landed on Toronto's doorstep along with defenceman Jake Gardiner and a conditional draft pick in exchange for veteran blue-liner Francois Beauchemin. Lupul was a salary dump who paid big dividends for the Maple Leafs.
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NHL
NHL Power Rankings: Week 16
Even though New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella doesn't agree
with his owner, James Dolan, that the NHL team is closing in on a
Stanley Cup title, we still like the Rangers atop our power rankings
this week
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Hockey Night in Canada
Senators' Spezza playing more complete game
While Jason Spezza may not reach the career highs in goals (34), assists (58) and points (92) that he put up in his best offensive season in 2007-08, both Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray and Spezza agree that he has played the most complete game of his career.
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Hockey Night in Canada
From undrafted to all-star game, Girardi is a good story
A decade ago, New York Rangers all-star defenceman Dan Girardi
intently followed the 2002 NHL entry draft at the Air Canada Centre.He
watched two buddies from his hometown of Welland, Ont. get chosen.
Daniel Paille was taken early, in the first round as the 20th overall
pick to the Buffalo Sabres. Andre Deveaux was selected later in the
sixth round by the Montreal Canadiens. After the Detroit Red Wings
snatched Jonathan Ericsson with the 291st and final selection, Girardi
was left out in the cold.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Sidney Crosby highlights eventful 1st half
The first half of the 2011-12 NHL season saw Sidney Crosby come and go as well as other stars on the sidelines with head injuries. The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks started slowly only to get hot. There also were seven coaching changes made, low times in Montreal and Edmonton and better than expected times in Ottawa.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Pens' assistant GM Botterill can relate to Crosby
Seven years ago, Jason Botterill was enduring a bout with post-concussion syndrome and was unsure about of his hockey future.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Habs' soap opera continues with trade with Flames
Mike Cammalleri was thrilled to be a Calgary Flame again. Or was the thoughtful 29-year-old forward simply over the moon to have been written out of the Montreal Canadiens season-long soap opera?
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 15
There aren't any teams playing better than the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues these days, and we had to give the Vancouver Canucks a round of applause and a spot ahead of Boston for their impressive win over the Bruins.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Sabres long way from last year's 2nd-half success
Last season, the Buffalo Sabres had an identical 18-19-5 record after game No. 42 and then with new owner Terry Pegula aboard they went on a terrific 25-10-5 run to make the post-season. But there are no signs that the Sabres are about to turn it around like they did last year.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL should try to work with players on realignment
The NHLPA's rejection of the league's realignment isn't about winning or losing a public relations battle against the league. How could the players win a p.r. fight when they know the fans want to see each team play a home-and-home with other teams? This isn't about firing the first shot across the bow in the upcoming collective bargaining battle. This isn't about the notion that travel has become easier because of the luxury charters the players fly on these days.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 14
The big movers up the power rankings this week were the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. But there was little change at the top with the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks holding down the top three spots.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canada needs to play more of a skill game
So what went wrong with coach Don Hay's Canadian junior team this time around? Are these sort of competitions simply cyclic? Sometimes Russia wins. Sometimes it's Canada. Occasionally, the United States wins. The Czech Republic hasn't won since 2001. The Finns haven't been crowned junior champs since 1998. Sweden hopes to end a gold-medal drought against Russia on Thursday that dates back to 1981. Or were there other problems with this Canadian team.
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Hockey Night in Canada
World juniors a family affair for the Hamiltons
Freddie and Dougie Hamilton is the first brother combination on the Canadian junior team since Mike and Randy Moller 30 years ago. The Mollers won gold back then in 1982. With two more wins this week, the Hamiltons would duplicate the family feat.
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Hockey Night in Canada
These Habs have been winning
Unlike their future team, the Montreal Canadiens Nathan Beaulieu, Brendan Gallagher and Michael Bournival, the three Habs prospects have been sharing a winning experience with the Canadian junior team.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canada edges U.S., stays perfect at world juniors
In a game that meant nothing in terms of the
standings at the world junior tournament, Canada skated by the United States 3-2
at Rexall Place on New Year's Eve. The win gave the Canadian juniors a perfect
4-0 record after the preliminary round, in which they outscored the opposition
27-5.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Czech goalie stuns U.S., gives Canada berth in semis
A 5-2 loss to the Czech Republic means the United States has been purged from the medal round at the 2012 world under-20 championship and means Canada had a spot in the tournament semifinals in Calgary on Tuesday. It also meant the Canada-U.S. on New Year's Eve will be a meaningless affair in terms of tournament standings.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canada's captain plays for his country and sister
This year's Canadian captain Jaden Schwartz doesn't need to tell his teammates nor those who know his story about the person he has dedicated the 2012 world junior championship to. That special someone is his sister Mandi, a former Yale hockey player who passed away last April at age 23 after a 16-month battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
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Hockey Night in Canada
The defence rests, Wedgewood is better in goal
Canadian junior goalie Scott Wedgewood patrolled the blue-line in his younger days playing AAA hockey in his hometown of Brampton, Ont. He didn't switch to the goalie position until he was 11.
So he has basically gone from being a defenceman to one of the top junior-aged goaltenders in the world in eight years as evident by his 26-save shutout performance in Canada's 5-0 win over the Czech Republic on Wednesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL Power Rankings: Week 13
The standings have tightened up as the NHL season nears its midpoint. Only 10 points separates the first overall Chicago Blackhawks from the 15th-place Calgary Flames. Another six teams are only 11 points behind the Blackhawks.But we didn't see much reason to change our top seven from last week, so No. 1 through seven remain the same in this week's power rankings.
Do you agree? Chat it up: @wharnscbcsports
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Hockey Night in Canada
Huberdeau can feel Smith-Pelly's pain
After learning of the troubling news that teammate Devante Smith-Pelly was knocked out the world under-20 championship late Monday, Canadian junior forward Jonathan Huberdeau immediately sent a message on his twitter account @JonnyHuby11, "Bad news for @smithpelly23, big part of our team!! We'll play every game for him. #doitfordevo."
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NHL
No hands of Stone for this Winnipegger
The world junior championship has been on Mark Stone's mind since he was 6 ½. The Winnipeg native, who plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings, certainly proved that point with his three-goal performance in Canada's impressive 8-1 romp over Finland in the tournament opener on Monday.
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NHL
World junior championship tournament primer
The Canadian junior tournament opens on Boxing Day in Edmonton and Calgary. Canada's curtain raiser will be against Finland on Monday. The Canadian juniors will be trying to win their 16th under-20 championship and first since 2010 in Ottawa. Here are some other storylines for this year's event.
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Hockey Night in Canada
1982 Canadian junior team started it all
A tradition started three decades ago when the first Canadian junior team from the program of excellence captured gold and sang the national anthem in celebration. Here is that story 30 years later.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Athletic bloodlines run in the Nurse family
There will be several familiar hockey surnames like Subban, Domi and Cassels playing in the world under-17 challenge in Windsor, Ont. next week. Another player with a sporting connection of a different kind will be Team Ontario defenceman Darnell Nurse of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
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NHL
Reimer has Maple Leafs back on track
The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the rival Buffalo Sabres 3-2 to stay among the top-eight in the East thanks to Phil Kessel's best game in recent weeks, big contributions from call-ups Darryl Boyce and Nazem Kadri as well as another standout performance from goalie James Reimer. Plus, take a look at where the seven Canadian teams stand as the Christmas break approaches compared to last year.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 12
The defending Stanley Cup-champion Boston Bruins surged back to the top of the power rankings this week. They are balanced up front, have big Zdeno Chara as the anchor of the defence and Tim Thomas in goal. There simply are no glaring weaknesses within this powerhouse. As proof, they have gone on an incredible 19-2-1 run since an unexpected 3-7-0 start to the season.
Do you agree? Chat it up: @wharnscbcsports
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Hockey Night in Canada
This was not a good year for hockey
Maybe it was a sign that trouble was around the corner for hockey a year ago, when Sidney Crosby suffered his concussion last January. There were the deaths of the three enforcers, a Russian team killed in a plane crash and the Vancouver riot. Not all the hockey stories in 2011, of course, were bad. Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas tasted the ultimate victory in yet another chapter of his remarkable story and there was the return of the Winnipeg Jets.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Hay goes for world junior gold 17 years later
Don Hay has coached more than 1,500 NHL, AHL and WHL regular-season and playoff games combined since the last time he stepped behind the Canadian bench at the world junior championship. The 57-year-old coach is older and wiser since he led Canada to gold at the Red Deer tournament, but he still demands plenty from his players.
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Hockey Night in Canada
There's something about Raymond
The Vancouver Canucks are a difficult team to beat most nights. But when Daniel and Henrik Sedin play the way they did against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, the opposition may as well hand over the two points to the defending NHL Western Conference champs.
But how much of the standout play from Vancouver's top line in the 5-3 win was a result from the return of speedy Mason Raymond to the Canucks lineup?
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Hockey Night in Canada
The Finnish Flash returns to Winnipeg
Teemu Selanne returns to Winnipeg on Saturday to play his first NHL game in nearly 16 years. When Selanne arrived in the Manitoba capital to begin his NHL career 19 years ago he wore sweater No. 13 in his 231 games for the Jets. So here are 13 things you should know about Selanne.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canadian junior team's underdog player
There was no epiphany moment for Tanner Pearson in his rise this season from middling OHL forward to one of the elite junior-aged hockey players in the country. The teenage son of Kim and Tim Pearson of Kitchener, Ont. had a decent rookie season with the Barrie Colts but was determined to be better. His desire enabled him to not only lead the OHL scoring race but make the Canadian junior team this week.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 11
The Philadelphia Flyers continue to strut an outstanding offensive game and as a result have found their way to the top of the power rankings this week. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren made some bold moves in shipping out Mike Richards and Jeff Carter last summer, but so far so good in the city of Brotherly Love.
Do you agree? Chat it up: @wharnscbcsports
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Hockey Night in Canada
Meet the NHL's Fa(u)lk-ers
The NHL has two Justin Fa(u)lks these days. The one without the letter u in his surname is a 23-year-old defenceman from Snowflake, Man. He plays for the league-leading Minnesota Wild. The one with the letter u in his surname was raised eight hours down I-29 and I-94 in South St. Paul, Minn. He is a 19-year-old blue-liner who plays for the 28th place Carolina Hurricanes.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby and Murray among lowlights on a bad-news Monday
Sidney Crosby, Claude Giroux, Zdeno Chara, Mike Green, Brian Gionta, Jeff Skinner and Terry Murray were names in the news on a manic Monday in the NHL. But not a single member of this group of seven was mentioned in a positive update. Crosby received most of the attention as he continues to suffer from concussion-like symptoms and is out indefinitely.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Why Rogers and Bell bundled together for MLSE
So why did rival Canadian communication companies Rogers and Bell combine to buy 75 per cent of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment? Bell feared that Rogers was going to take a run at owning the sports empire and snatch its content for endless programming. Rogers wanted to make sure the opposite possibility did not occur. There also was the threat of an American interest swooping into town to purchase the Ontario teachers' stake and creating its own mega sports station.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Henrique wanted no part of family farm
Adam Henrique did not want any part of the family business. His Dad owned and worked on a tobacco farm in Burford, Ont., just outside of Wayne Gretzky's hometown of Brantford. The New Jersey Devils rookie centre spent enough time working alongside his father in the summer to know that hockey was a worthwhile pursuit.
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NHL Power Rankings
NHL Power Rankings: Week 10
The hard-checking Minnesota Wild certainly don't play in an untamed manner as their nickname suggests. Rookie coach Mike Yeo has changed the losing culture and has the Wild in top spot as the NHL season approaches the 30-game mark. We think the Wild also deserves top-spot honours in our power rankings. Do you agree? Chat it up: @wharnscbcsports
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Hockey Night in Canada
New, old rivalries will ripen under NHL's realignment
The immediate concern with the NHL's new four-conference alignment has been whether the 16 best teams will make the playoffs and whether the best teams always advance to the final four.
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Hockey Night in Canada
From steel worker to 2-time Stanley Cup champ
Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton once was cut by his minor-bantam coach, but he never stopped believing that he would one day be a full-time NHLer. The patience and perseverance has paid off for the former steel mill worker.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Hitchcock's success has been hard to ignore
When the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes and Anaheim Ducks decided to fire their coaches this week, each team hoped to enjoy the kind of swift turnaround that the St. Louis Blues have enjoyed under Ken Hitchcock.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Champs still too much for the Maple Leafs
The good news is the Toronto Maple Leafs only have three games remaining against the Boston Bruins this season. The bad news is they visit their division rivals in Beantown again on Saturday. The Maple Leafs have gained on the Stanley Cup champions. Instead of submitting to 6-2 and 7-0 drubbings like they did in their first two meetings against the Bruins this season, the Maple Leafs were only 6-3 losers at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL's 1st quarter hints at snug playoff races
What does the first 21-game segment tell us about how the season
will develop?If the current standings are an indication, expect tight playoff races in both conferences as not much separates the top teams from those outside the post-season picture.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Boudreau's row with Ovechkin cost him his job
Bruce Boudreau's fifth season behind the Washington Capitals bench began with seven wins in a row. Then after a couple of difficult losses in Western Canada to the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, the Capitals returned home to score, what was considered at the time, a monumental come-from-behind 5-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks in overtime.But while Boudreau won that game by sending a message to superstar Alex Ovechkin about his inconsistent play, Ovechkin eventually got rid of his old coach.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Undrafted and unheralded, Dupuis gets it done
Pascal Dupuis makes a good first impression.The versatile Pittsburgh Penguins forward has played for four different
NHL teams, and on each occasion in his debut game for the Minnesota Wild,
New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers and Penguins, Dupuis has scored a
goal.This season, even though he has played only three games alongside Sidney
Crosby entering Saturday's game in Montreal, the
32-year-old Dupuis is on pace for his most productive season yet.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Hitchcock gets the better of Crosby this time
First, Ken Hitchcock killed Sidney Crosby with kindness by praising him in the morning and then his St. Louis Blues surprised the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime in the evening.
Yes, there was a letdown in Crosby's second game back from his 10 ½-month absence due to a concussion. The emotion from Monday's impressive four-point season debut from Crosby was gone in No. 87's play and his teammates.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby doesn't think scoring title is possible
There is a crack in Sidney Crosby's game, after all. Although, No. 87 exhibited excellence in his two-goal, four-point comeback game on Monday after a 10 ½-month absence due to a concussion, he was brought back down to earth by his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates the morning after.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby exhibits emotion and excellence in return
For Sidney Crosby, 320 days seemed like a lifetime. But his return to hockey after a lengthy absence with a concussion was worth the wait. You could see what it meant to him to be back with his emotional outpouring after he scored the Penguins' first goal in their 5-0 win against the lowly New York Islanders on Monday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby anxious but confident for 1st hit
Sidney Crosby's comeback bid has finally arrived. The Penguins dressing room was a madhouse after the morning skate Monday with more than 100 media members inside trying to listen to Crosby's remarks. Pittsburgh's captain admitted he's anxious to absorb that first lick.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Leafs answer challenges, Caps don't
Both the Maple Leafs and Capitals were desperate to fight their way out
of 1-4-1 slumps on Saturday night, but it was injury-riddled Toronto that stepped up big-time with a 7-1 win over a Washington team that appears to have lost its way.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Stars get new owner and new outlook
The slip in the standings the Dallas Stars experienced this week after a three-game losing streak is nothing like the fall they encountered in Big D's sporting market place. That's why the confirmation that Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi was approved as the Stars new owner on Friday was welcome news to Stars management and their dwindling fan base.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey is a family affair for the Folignos
Ottawa Senators forward Nick Foligno these day finds himself providing counsel for his younger brother Marcus in much the same manner their father Mike advised Nick when he began his days as a pro.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL wants to better protect goalies
The open-ice lick that Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic put on Buffalo
Sabres goalie Ryan Miller last Saturday has resulted in a crackdown on
future player-goalie collisions in the NHL. The league's 30 general managers discussed the Lucic-Miller incident at
the annual fall GM meetings held at a Toronto airport hotel on Tuesday.
The consensus was the NHL will make players and referees aware that
goalies are to be protected from hits like the one Lucic delivered on
Miller in a chase for a loose puck.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Mr. Hockey was a Hall of Fame hockey Dad, too
When Mark Howe turned up for various Hockey Hall of Fame functions in the past few days, he noticed the mass around his 83-year-old father Gordie always swelled more than the gathering around him. The younger 56-year-old Howe wasn't surprised. He became accustomed to this scene early in life.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Home not so sweet for Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs failed to honour three brethren from the past as well as Mr. Hockey with an effort worthy of the annual Hall of Fame weekend. The Maple Leafs continued to stumble at home.
They were beaten by the provincial rival Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Saturday to drop their third game in a row at Air Canada Centre, this time in front of Ed Belfour, Doug Gilmour and Joe Nieuwendyk and Gordie Howe, whose son Mark will be inducted with the three former Maple Leafs on Monday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Trotz joins an elite 4-member group
Both Barry Trotz and Terry Murray will celebrate their 1,000th games behind an
NHL bench. But while Murray has reached the milestone as coach of the
Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings,
the 49-year-old Trotz has accomplished the feat with only one club, the
Nashville Predators.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Lightning effective, but entertaining?
Peter Laviolette failed to achieve the success master-tactician Dean Smith did with the four-corner stall offence his national-champion North Carolina basketball team occasionally employed decades ago. But the message delivered by Laviolette's Philadelphia Flyers was heard loud and clear around the NHL and its fans on Wednesday evening. The Lightning didn't bite, and in the end, they won. They beat the NHL's top offensive team 2-1 in overtime.
- Hockey Night in Canada From May Day to La-la-la-la LaFontaine, Jeanneret is a Hall of Famer Some of Rick Jeanneret's friends call him Rodney because of his resemblance to the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield. But unlike Dangerfield, Jeanneret has respect around the league for his exuberance and his knack for capturing the excitement of hockey with a brilliant call. He celebrated 40 years of calling Buffalo Sabres games by being inducted into the Sabres Hall of Fame along with Dale Hawerchuk on Tuesday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
There is unrest in Leaf-land after back-to-back losses
If you didn't know the Toronto Maple Leafs opened with nine wins in their first 13 outings you may have thought it was just like old times at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday, or at least the way the previous six playoff-less seasons have gone.The disappointment was because, in the battle of the playoff-less teams since the lockout, the Florida Panthers prevailed with a 5-1 win.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Hitchcock's hiring good for Blues, Blue Jackets
Ken Hitchcock belongs behind a bench. He belongs in a dressing room instructing players. He belongs on the ice running a practice.Being named as Davis Payne's replacement and the 24th head coach of the St. Louis Blues is a good situation for the soon-to-be 60-year-old Hitchcock. It's a good situation for the Blues. It's also a good situation for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Leafs, Bruins still have room to improve
In analyzing Toronto and Boston through the first month, It probably has been more of a case in that the Bruins haven't been as bad as their 5-7-0 record entering the game and the Maple Leafs haven't played as well as their 9-4-3 record indicated. Both teams still have some work to do.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Oilers, Leafs powered by top lines
Four weeks into the regular season, the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in top spot in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively.There are many reasons as to why the Oilers, 8-2-2, and Maple Leafs, 9-3-1, have enjoyed so much early-season success. One reason these Canadian clubs have become conference leaders has been the play of their top forward lines.
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Hockey Night in Canada
A good start usually predicts success in NHL
The New York Islanders were last NHL team to hit the 10-game mark in the 2011-12 season, when they suffered a 1-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday evening. Does the 10-game mark tell us anything? Yes, it does. Since the 2004-05 lockout, each of the seven Stanley Cup winners have jumped out of the gate with at least 12 points or more
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Hockey Night in Canada
Vitale loves his Cardinals and Penguins
Inside Joe Vitale's world, life could not be better. At age 26, he is a rookie on the Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh Penguins. He's already scored a game-winning goal this season. He's already been bestowed with the honour of getting his No. 46 on the Penguins' lunch bucket, emblematic of team's internal player-of-the game award.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Fanelli is on the comeback trail
Ben Fanelli and those around him decided after much deliberation to
return to hockey in late August. He tweeted this inspirational message
back then on his Twitter account @BF4HeadStrong : "If you give up ,
where's the next guy going to find his inspiration?" The 18-year-old Fanelli truly has been an inspiration to family,
friends, fans and teammates. He's 13 games into his comeback with the
Kitchener Rangers of the OHL and couldn't be more pleased with his
progress.
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Hockey Night in Canada
How the Oilers and Senators roared to success in October
The Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators have plenty of miles to skate this season before the 16 positions in the Stanley Cup playoffs will be determined. But both clubs should be applauded for their early-season exploits and we don't see why they can't continue winning and wind up in the postseason come April.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Kessel bests Neal in goal-scorers' battle
The Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Pittsburgh Penguins pitted Phil Kessel against James Neal, the hottest two goal scorers through the first month of the NHL regular season.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Manitoba is big enough for Jets and Wheat Kings
The Brandon Wheat Kings have been one of Canada's cornerstone junior hockey franchises for a long time. But with the hysteria that has surrounded the Winnipeg Jets' comeback we wondered if the Wheat Kings have been affected by the return of the NHL to Manitoba.
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Hockey Night in Canada
The 30-year-old rookie a remarkable story
Bracken Kearns became a 30-year-old NHL rookie with the Florida Panthers last week. It was the most recent highlight in a remarkable hockey journey that has seen Kearns, whose father Dennis played for the Vancouver Canucks three decades ago, go from the University of Calgary through the minor pro ranks to the NHL.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Luongo should be playing, not watching
Alain Vigneault didn't pump gasoline on the fire, but he certainly didn't help extinguish the flames that surround his embattled goaltender on Wednesday. He should be allowed to fight his way out of this funk, with time in the crease and with or without the support of the Canucks faithful. "He's a guy who just looks unsure with himself right now," said a scout. "He used to be so confident in that crease. He's missing that demeanour."
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Hockey Night in Canada
Gauthier deserves the blame for Canadiens woes
Jacques Martin did his best to calm the stormy conditions that surround his Eastern Conference basement-dwelling Montreal Canadiens after a dismal 1-4-2 start. The button-down Martin pointed out that his team had only four points after seven games two years ago and rallied to make the playoffs and advance all the way to the East final. But it won't be easy. The Canadiens still have injury problems to overcome and mistakes made by general manager Pierre Gauthier.
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Hockey Night in Canada
How many games should a No. 1 goalie play?
There are no magic formulas as to how many games a No. 1 goalie should
play in order for his team to achieve the ultimate, a Stanley Cup. But would you be surprised to learn that only one netminder in the six
seasons since the lockout has played more than 60 regular-season games
and then lifted Lord Stanley's mug in celebration?
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Hockey Night in Canada
Concussion problem in hockey hits home with Mark Stuart
Winnipeg Jets defenceman Mark Stuart had a close call earlier this week when he was dinged in the head with the puck. He avoided any serious injury, which pleased his father, Dr. Michael Stuart, a concussion specialist with the Mayo Clinic.
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Subway Bio
Kobasew back on track with Avalanche
Chuck Kobasew, one of the oldest players on his new team, is enjoying
his first weeks with the Colorado Avalanche after a lull in his NHL
career.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Reimer and special teams struggle in Leafs loss
Phil Kessel kept scoring, just not in the third period to pull out a win like in the past two games. The special teams kept stumbling, but this time the lack of success on power play and penalty kill mattered. Even reliable goaltender James Reimer exhibited a couple of lapse moments. The end result was that the Toronto Maple Leafs' perfect season was no more. They dropped a 3-2 decision in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche, a young club that finished off a five-game stint on the road with its fifth consecutive win.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Canadian teams among youngest and oldest in NHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets are among the youngest teams in the NHL this season, while the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks have two of the older rosters. The Nashville Predators have the youngest average age, while the Detroit Red Wings have put together the oldest club.
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Subway Bio
Flyers' Simmonds ready to face the Kings
There could not be a better situation for Philadelphia Flyers rugged forward Wayne Simmonds when he meets up with his former teammates, the Los Angeles Kings, on Saturday.
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NHL
Calendar gazing on Crosby's potential return
There was Sidney Crosby whirling around the ice surface wearing the same black helmet as his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates at the Consol Energy Center on Thursday morning. It was evident that Sid the Kid had taken the next baby step in his road to recovery.
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Hockey Night in Canada
NHL teams offer no guarantees to rookies
In Edmonton, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made a dazzling debut with a late-game tying goal for the Oilers against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday evening. A couple of hours earlier, Mark Scheifele struggled in his first game with the Winnipeg Jets after a solid training camp. But big things are expected from the 6-foot-3, 175-pound forward.
- Hockey Jets suffer opening night nerve turbulence If the players on the new Winnipeg Jets failed to realize prior to Sunday's return to the NHL that this was a big deal in Manitoba, the significance was hammered home when they made their way to the MTS Centre for the season opener. The Jets and Nik Antropov, the lone goal scorer in the Jets 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens before a raucous capacity crowd of 15,004, described how they saw local bars and restaurants jammed with anticipation.
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Subway Bio
From equipment manager to Jets exec
Craig Heisinger doesn't mind the attention, he just doesn't understand why he has become the poster boy for the NHL's return to Manitoba. The reason is he is the one constant from the old days of the Winnipeg Jets. He was the equipment manager 15 years ago when the franchise bolted for Phoenix. He didn't leave. He stayed behind and in the past decade-and-a-half traveled the implausible passage from equipment manager to general manager of the AHL Manitoba Moose to current assistant GM of the Jets.
- Hockey Lets get the Jets party started There is not much more to thrash out about the hysteria that has surrounded the return of the Winnipeg Jets with their season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday less than 24 hours away. It's simply time to get this party started on the ice at the MTS Centre, turn the deal over head coach Claude Noel and his players and let them take the remarkable story in whatever direction they can after the 15-year interruption.
- Hockey Jets return continues to take off The local band Inward Eye rocked. Three Days Grace rolled. Legends Randy Bachman and Fred Turner provided a magnificent nostalgic touch on the revelry at the Forks to kick off the 2011-12 NHL regular season. The new hockey season, after all, is about the return of the Winnipeg Jets and there wasn't a better way to bring in the New Year, hockey wise anyway, than to watch Bachman and Turner perform, especially if you didn't mind long lines for a beer.
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Hockey
Timmy the Greek, not quite
The beginning of the season also means some of us are asked to take our crystal ball out of the closet and make some predictions. Before you take these guesses too seriously, I must confess that this time last year I had the Detroit Red Wings beating New Jersey in the final. The Devils, of course, didn't make the playoffs, and the Red Wings went out in the second round.
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Hockey
Canucks can use Penguins as inspiration
The task of winning the Stanley Cup after a near miss the previous season is never easy. You deal with a short summer, the heartache and the constant replay of what went wrong.
It's much better to cope with the short summer by spending a day with Stanley Cup in celebration. Of course, that's easier said than done.
Since expansion, only the 1967-68 Montreal Canadiens, 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers and 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins have accomplished the difficult undertaking of winning the Stanley Cup after losing in the final the previous spring.
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Hockey
Oilers need big season from their blue-line
One area the Edmonton Oilers don't have any concerns is up front. They are well stocked at forward with the speed and skill of youngsters Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi, Linus Omark and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, along with the veteran presence of Ryan Smyth, Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky and Eric Belanger.The blue-line is another matter.
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Hockey
Flames need to start like they finished
The Calgary Flames return nearly every player from a group that finished last season with an impressive 27-10-9 run after Christmas, but they're already dealing with nagging injuries.
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Hockey
Habs need a healthy Markov and productive Gomez
In an ideal world for the Montreal Canadiens and their faithful, they would have a healthy Andrei Markov patrolling the blue-line and a vintage Scott Gomez, the one from 2005-06, when they open the regular season.
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Hockey
Slow starting Maple Leafs to reverse the trend
To say the Toronto Maple Leafs need a strong showing in the first four months of the 2011-12 season is to state the obvious. Among the many ills that have infected the Maple Leafs game in their futile string of six straight seasons of missing the playoffs, a disappointing record going into either the Olympic or all-star break has been troublesome.
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Hockey
Extra flight time won't ground these Jets
The Winnipeg Jets faded down the stretch as the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010-11. Imagine how they will feel later this season with all the travel flying back-and-forth from Manitoba to play their Eastern Conference opponents. The Jets, however, don't feel that being situated in the Midwest, but playing mostly in the East, will be a difference maker.
- Hockey Calder Cup title will help Senators rebuild A development that could make the Ottawa Senators' extreme makeover more palatable to their fans is that several of the young players who will play in the nation's capital this season experienced a successful run the AHL Calder Cup championship last spring.
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Subway Bio
Bodie wants to avoid St. John's in the future
Winnipeg Jets rugged forward Troy Bodie hopes he never has to play another hockey game at Mile One Centre. This is no slight intended to the wonderful people of Newfoundland. It's just that the 26-year-old left wing hopes to make the Jets out of training camp, stick with the NHL team he grew up rooting for and never have to be demoted to Winnipeg's AHL team, the St. John IceCaps.
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Hockey
Jets, Senators connect the dots on the Rock
The connections for the annual Kraft Hockeyville pre-season game between the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets could not have more storylines that connect to Newfoundland. Of course, the Jets will house their AHL affiliate in St. John's and play out of Mile One Arena, where the Jets-Senators game will be conducted on Monday (CBC, CBCSports.ca 4 p.m. ET/5:30 NT).
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Hockey
No fish tales with the Ryans
All Terry Ryan and his son Terry Jr. need is an audience. And if that's the case, you're in for a treat. They have stories. Man, do they have stories. On Sunday, out on a boat ride organized by former NHLer Greg Smyth, who now lives in St. John's, the wind howled on the Atlantic Ocean, not far from St. John's Harbour, and the elder Ryan was on his game.
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Hockey
Jets not popular in Newfoundland - yet
Newfoundland hockey fans do not alter their NHL allegiances easily. Most of them are long-time supporters of the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs or Boston Bruins, or they cheer for the team of their favourite Newfoundlander, like Daniel Cleary of the Detroit Red Wings or Ted Purcell of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Hockey Newfoundland's hockey path is Cleary For a province that long has been branded for its fishing, rugged beauty and wonderfully kind-hearted people, we can add hockey talent into the mix of Newfoundland's attributes. Newfoundland's presence in the hockey world is currently at an all-time high.
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Hockey
Winnipeg Jets are a true Hollywood story
Not even Hollywood would have to gussy up the story of the Winnipeg Jets return like it has in other sports movies such as Invincible or Rudy. The Jets return has been nothing but a feel good yarn so far.
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Hockey
Shelley may face discipline for hit on Leafs' Boyce
Brendan Shanahan knew his new role as the NHL's chief disciplinarian
would be busy, and on the third night of pre-season play he has was
delivered his first case of possible supplementary discipline.On Wednesday night in the second period of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 4-2 win in Philadelphia, Flyers forward Jody Shelley smacked Toronto's Darryl Boyce from behind in he second period of the exhibition game.
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Hockey
The curious case of Lee Sweatt
Lee Sweatt's decision to retire before his 26th birthday flew under radar this summer. Here was a young defenceman who after four years at Colorado College, three more seasons bouncing around Europe and several months in the minors appeared to have a future in the NHL.
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Hockey
Crosby has strong start to training camp
So far, so good for Sidney Crosby. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain has made it through three intense practices at training camp, including a 75-minute practice on Monday, and has progressed without any headaches or symptoms associated with post-concussion syndrome.
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Hockey
10 storylines for NHL training camps
Training camps open around the NHL on Friday with medicals and on-ice sessions on Saturday. Here are some storylines to contemplate as the chase for the 2011-12 Stanley Cup begins.
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Hockey
Mitchell knows Crosby's journey
Last week, we listened to Sidney Crosby reveal that he is 90 per cent recovered and extremely confident that he will resume his career at some point this season. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain, who skated with his teammates for 90 minutes on Monday, was short on details as to what he has endured in the past nine months. But we know from other players who have suffered concussions, dealing with a sports head injury is no picnic. Near the end of last season, Los Angeles Kings defenceman Willie Mitchell took the time to tell us his story.
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Hockey
Don Cherry's 1st coach turns 90
The Boston Bruins summer of celebration is far from over. They still have a championship banner to hang next month and there is little doubt that when training camp opens later this week plenty of stories will be traded from their title run last spring. The Bruins were front and centre again at a North York restaurant on Monday. But instead of celebrating a Stanley Cup, more than a 100 friends and family and former NHLers assembled for lunch to toast ex-Bruins defenceman Murray Henderson, who turned 90 on Sept. 5.
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Hockey
Crosby's outlook less foggy
We didn't expect Sidney Crosby to declare himself 100 per cent, raring and ready to go for the upcoming NHL season during the update on his head injury on Wednesday.There were, after all, the whispers last month that he still was dealing with post-concussion symptoms as he ratcheted up his off-season workouts.But as Crosby answered questions in Pittsburgh, flanked by Penguins general manager Ray Shero and Dr. Michael Collins and Dr. Ted Carrick - the two are specialists who have treated and monitored Crosby's progress - it was evident that this is a young man who's very much on the mend.
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Hockey
Shanahan tinkers, not looking to reinvent game
From Brendan Shanahan's viewpoint, the NHL game is in a good place and any rule tweaks are unwarranted right now. Nevertheless, as the NHL's new chief disciplinarian explained, there is no harm in experimentation.
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Hockey
NHL works to avoid another Pacioretty incident
Of the tweaks fiddled with on the first of the two-day NHL's research and development camp, the immediate benefit will be enhanced player safety and the way the league employs video to scrutinize possible goals.As a result of Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty's violent collision when he was directed into a stanchion between the benches at the Bell Centre by Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara last March, the NHL will use a curved piece of Plexiglas that the league feels will better protect the players from a repeat incident.
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Hockey
Ladd signing another vital day in Jets rebirth
If Andrew Ladd decided to take the Winnipeg Jets to salary arbitration or push for a one-year deal to take him into unrestricted free agency next summer, he would have sent a message to other players that it's not cool to play in Winnipeg. Instead, he put his stamp of approval - player wise - on the franchise's move from Atlanta to Winnipeg by signing a five-year, $22-million commitment on Tuesday.
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Hockey
The Leafs are better, but are they good enough?
The Toronto Maple Leafs came within eight points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference thanks to a strong 24-15-7 record in the New Year. But have the weekend additions of centres Tim Connolly and Matthew Lombardi as well as dependable defensive defenceman Cody Franson done enough to push the 10th-place Maple Leafs into the playoffs for the first time since 2003-04?
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Hockey
No surprise Richards joins the Rangers
When Brad Richards set out to find a new NHL address to hang his skates, he compiled a checklist of items he hoped for in his new hockey home.Even though the New York Rangers haven't advanced past the second round of the playoffs since they met up with Eric Lindros and the Philadelphia Flyers back in the 1997 East final, the blueshirts simply had more to offer in Richards' eyes.
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Hockey
Canucks in good spot, so is Brad Richards
As the NHL's free agent signing period opened Friday, the Vancouver Canucks took their first strides to fortify their lineup to take another run at the Stanley Cup next season.Meanwhile, unrestricted free-agent Brad Richards listened to all the lucrative offers he had thrown at him, but where he will earn his new riches has yet to be determined.
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Hockey
Canadian clubs need to flex free-agent muscle
The NHL's seven Canadian teams all need to flex some muscle when the free-agent frenzy beings at noon ET on Friday.
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Hockey
Burns deserved HHOF honour with his buddy Gilmour
Pat Burns hopefully will one day be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. If you want proof there are deserving players or builders late to the party, take a look at how long it took three of the four inductees announced on Tuesday. Doug Gilmour, Mark Howe and Joe Nieuwendyk each should have been inducted before they received their honours. Ed Belfour was one of the fortunate ones to get in on his first year of eligibility. The other three had to wait.
- Hockey Scout Bradley wins Stanley Cup 39 years after his father Long-time Boston Bruins scout Scott Bradley, a two-time cancer survivor, has endured plenty of ups and downs in his 19-year assocation with the NHL club. But there is nothing quite like the experience of a Stanley Cup-winning scout attending the draft a week after clinching the NHL championship.
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Hockey
Younger Lowe and Simpson have their draft day
For now anyway, Keegan Lowe has bragging rights. He can poke fun at his close buddy Dillon Simpson because Lowe was selected before Simpson during the second day of the 2011 NHL entry draft on Saturday. Keegan went in the third round (73rd overall) to the Carolina Hurricanes, while Dillon was taken by the Oilers 19 spots later to begin the fourth round.
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Hockey
Jets' 1st pick bridges generations
There was a sense of déjà vu for Dale (Ducky) Hawerchuk as he sat in his seat in the Xcel Energy Center and watched the NHL entry draft's first-round proceedings on Friday evening.Before he won the 1981-82 Calder Trophy. Thirty years after the Winnipeg Jets selected Hawerchuk first overall, the reborn franchise drafted his Barrie Colts rookie Mark Scheifele with the seventh choice.
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Hockey
Flyers undergo major facelift
Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were vital parts of the 2003 NHL entry draft and eight years later the two were front and centre again in separate blockbuster trades. The Philadelphia Flyers dealt their pair of prized 2003 first-round catches and signed 31-year-old goalie Ilya Brygalov to a nine-year, $51-million US contract on Thursday to dramatically rework a roster that only was 12 months removed from the Stanley Cup Final.
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Hockey
The 2003 NHL entry draft revisited
If you could redo the 2003 NHL entry draft with the knowledge of what has transpired eight years later, what would order of selection look like in the first round. We put that question to a panel of eight NHL scouts.
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Hockey
Sedins refuse to make excuses after crushing loss
Moments after their Game 7 failure of the Stanley Cup Final, Vancouver's
Henrik and Daniel Sedin took the disappointment like men, and not like
"Thelma and Louise" as they were described by analyst Mike Milbury on
NBC earlier in the series.
Along with a few teammates, the twins stood near their stalls in the
Vancouver Canucks dressing room and answered questions about the
frustrating 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins, and the dream of winning the
Stanley Cup gone for another season.
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Hockey
Gillis angry, but restrained about Raymond injury
VANCOUVER -- Mike Gillis refused to take the direct approach when he was
asked whether Boston Bruins defenceman Johnny Boychuck deserved a
suspension for his hit that broke the back of Vancouver Canucks forward
Mason Raymond on Monday.
The Canucks general manager had the hockey world's attention. But he
wasn't about to rant and rave less than 24 hours before his club meets
the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday (CBC,
CBCSports.ca, 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET).
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Hockey
Likable Tim Thomas out to beat disliked Canucks
As disliked as the Canucks have become in this playoff run for their embellishment antics to the Alexandre Burrows biting incident to Aaron Rome's late hit, Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas continues to be a likable character and a remarkable story.
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Hockey
Canucks look to be aggressive on power play
The Vancouver Canucks head coach admitted he wasn't truthful when asked about the state of his club's struggling power play before Game 4 in Boston. He told reporters that after he reviewed video of the Canucks power-play and that he felt it was ready to break out.
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Hockey
For Vigneault, It's Luongo or bust
VANCOUVER -- Alain Vigneault will stand by Roberto Luongo, but also
would like to see more production out of Henrik and Daniel Sedin as well
as centre Ryan Kesler.
Unlike the first-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks, when the
Canucks coach started backup goalie Cory Schneider in Game 6 after
Luongo had a couple of stinky outings, Vigneault emphatically stated
that Luongo will start Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Friday.
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Hockey
Inside Murphy's decision on Rome's suspension
Mike Murphy knows what the Stanley Cup Final means to players, coaches, managers, owners and fans. He knows the importance of Nathan Horton to the Boston Bruins and the significance of what Aaron Rome means to the Vancouver Canucks with dependable Dan Hamhuis already out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury.
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Hockey
Late-bloomer Aaron Rome helps Canucks cause
The Staals from Thunder Bay, Ont. would never be confused with the Romes from Nesbitt, Man. But there are similarities between the two sets of hockey-mad kin.Both families have four boys who grew up on a farm and spent oodles of free-time with highly-contested hockey games of their own. While Eric and Jordan Staal each have a Stanley Cup ring, Aaron Rome hopes to earn his second if the Vancouver Canucks can take advantage of their 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final and close out the deal on the Boston Bruins.
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Hockey
Canucks' Hamhuis, Malhotra game-time decisions
Manny Malhotra and Dan Hamhuis were classified as game-time decisions by
Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault on Saturday.The
difference is that Malhotra, out since March 16 with a serious left eye
injury, participated in both a practice on Friday and the morning skate
on Saturday, and will be out there with his teammates for the warm-up
before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins.
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Hockey
Malhotra not looking for 'sentimental' shifts
A determination as to whether Manny Malhotra will be available for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final will be made after he participates in the Vancouver Canucks morning skate on Saturday.
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Hockey
Burrows may bite, but he's a story of fight
Despite another contentious incident in the career of Vancouver Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows, it is hard to ignore Burrows talent and his fortitude to get this far, three wins away from celebrating a Stanley Cup.
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Hockey
Malhotra helpful, even on the sidelines
Even though Manny Malhotra wasn't able to make it to the starting gate for the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins, his leadership skills had a helping hand in the Canucks 1-0 victory. You see, the Canucks forward who planted the game winner behind the remarkable Tim Thomas with 18.5 tics left on the clock was Raffi Torres. The hard-hitting, swift-skater plays on the edge and after a couple of controversial hits -- one late in the regular season and another early in the playoffs -- Malhotra had to talk Torres off the ledge and get his teammate back playing the sort of game that has made his successful.
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Hockey
Shanahan may be harsher NHL policeman
VANCOUVER -- The decision to replace Colin Campbell with Brendan Shanahan as the NHL's chief disciplinarian on Wednesday likely will result in elongated or harsher suspensions.
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Hockey
Canucks hopeful Malhotra can play in Cup final
Does Steve Nash know the answer the biggest question hovering over the beginning of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final?
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Hockey
Vigneault and Julien put friendship aside for Cup Final
Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault and his Boston Bruins counterpart Claude Julien never imagined that almost three decades after they spent two seasons as teammates on the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the old Central Hockey League that one day they would be match wits as bench bosses in the Stanley Cup Final. That, however, will be the situation when the Canucks and Bruins open the 2010-11 best-of-seven NHL championship at Rogers Arena on Wednesday.
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Hockey
10 Stanley Cup storylines
The fact that Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault and Boston Bruins bench boss Claude Julien were once minor-league teammates with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in the early 1980s is just one storyline between the two teams meeting in the Stanley Cup Final.
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Hockey
Sea Dogs' Durepos remembers Bourdon
Pierre Durepos and his Saint John Sea Dogs teammates had just become the first
team from Atlantic Canada to capture the MasterCard Memorial Cup with a
3-1 victory over the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.
The reliable defenceman was waiting for his turn to hoist the prized
junior hockey trophy, but remarked that he didn't mind taking time to
reflect on Bourdon, who lost his young life exactly three years ago to
the day when his motorcyle smashed into a tractor trailer near his
hometown in Shippagan, N.B.
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Hockey
Luongo and the captain, masters of their domain
If Ryan Kesler was the Vancouver Canucks' MVP of their second-round series against the Nashville Predators, which of his teammates deserves the honour in the West final?The lofty status probably should be shared between captain Henrik Sedin and goalie Roberto Luongo for the way they finished the series against the San Jose Sharks.
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Hockey
Jumbo Joe still trying to shed 'loser' image
Joe Thornton has another opportunity to beef up his scant big-game reputation when his San Jose Sharks try to extend the Western Conference final against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.The Sharks trail 3-1 in the series and their chance to advance to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in franchise history is teetering on the edge once again. To make the situation even more dire is Thornton injured his right shoulder when he was nailed with a shoulder-to-shoulder hit from Vancouver's Raffi Torres midway through the third period on Sunday afternoon.
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Hockey
Ballard poised to re-enter Canuck lineup
Keith Ballard may make his way back into the Canucks' lineup due to a couple injuries on their blue-line suffered in Game 3.
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Hockey
Winnipeg chatter creeps into Game 3 prep
While Game 3 of the Western Conference Final was foremost on the mind of the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks at Friday's game-day skate, that didn't mean the topic of the Atlanta Thrashers potentially moving to Winnipeg didn't come up.
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Hockey
Bad blood boiling in Canucks, Sharks series
Alain Vigneault was disappointed to learn on Thursday that San Jose Sharks forward Ben Eager would not face any supplementary discipline after he smacked Vancouver Canucks sniper Daniel Sedin into the boards from behind.
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Hockey
Tambellini in for Canucks, Samuelsson not close
Jeff Tambellini will return to the Vancouver Canucks lineup for Game 2 of the West final against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.
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Hockey
Cooler Kesler paying dividends
It came out Tuesday that Joe Thornton invited Ryan Kesler to fight during the incredibly-heated opening faceoff in Game 1 of the Western Conference final. Kesler turned him down, the latest example of the Canucks centre's more disciplined approach. And judging by his Conn Smythe-worthy play in these playoffs, it's paying off.
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Hockey
Bieksa is a product of good fortune
Veteran Kevin Bieksa was to be the fall guy to the Vancouver Canucks salary cap problems last summer. The native of Grimsby, Ont. was on his way out of town until Sami Salo ruptured his Achilles tendon in a game of floor ball in his native Finland last summer.The Salo mishap was just another chapter in good fortune for the chatter-box Bieksa. He keeps his teammates entertained with his verbal antics off the ice and puts smiles on their faces with his play, like his game-tying goal in the third period of Vancouver's 3-2 win the West final opener against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.
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Hockey
Canucks grinders lead the way in Game 1
Henrik Sedin had the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders, but it was the play of the Vancouver Canucks third line that was responsible for pushing the Canucks to the point of Sedin's third-period magic.
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Hockey
Western Conference final: 5 storylines
CBCSports.ca's Tim Wharnsby offers his five storylines for the Western Conference final beginning Sunday in Vancouver (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 7:30 p.m. ET).
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Hockey
Eastern Conference final: 5 storylines
CBCSports.ca's Tim Wharnsby offers his five storylines for the Eastern Conference final beginning Saturday night in Boston (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 7:30 p.m. ET)
- Hockey Red Wings chase history in San Jose When the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks clash in San Jose on Thursday in Game 7, the Red Wings hope to become only the fourth team in NHL history to win a series after losing the first three games. The Sharks will aim to match the efforts of the Vancouver Canucks in the first round last month, when they became only the fourth team in Stanley Cup playoff history to still win a series after surrendering a 3-0 lead.
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Hockey
Canucks' Higgins OK for Game 6
Second-line
forward Chris Higgins gave his teammates a scare when he left the
Vancouver Canucks' morning skate early.
But afterwards Higgins
and Canucks coach Alain Vigneault revealed that the player was fine and
will play in Game 6 on Monday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 8 p.m. ET).
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Hockey
Does Ryan Kesler have a twin?
The Vancouver Canucks have done little to muster much faith. So much so that the seven-letter c-word that rhymes with smokers was voiced by several fans and media critics as they exited Rogers Arena on Saturday evening after the Canucks blew another chance to send the opposition home for good.
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Hockey
Canucks applying lessons learned
The Vancouver Canucks claim they have learned a hard lesson from their mini two-game slump in the first round and that has them zeroed in on finishing off the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
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Hockey
Canucks' Salo may play in Game 4
Injured Vancouver Canucks defenceman Sami Salo is a possibility for Game
4 against the Nashville Predators on Thursday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 8:30
p.m. ET)Salo is still officially listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury
(believed to be a leg ailment), but he has skated hard the past few
days and left the morning skate before fellow blue-liners Keith Ballard
and Andrew Alberts.
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Hockey
Canucks claim Henrik Sedin is not playing hurt
Henrik Sedin is healthy. That's the story and the Vancouver Canucks are sticking to it.Theories have been a plenty as to why the Canucks captain has gone 10 Stanley Cup playoff games without a goal and has a team-worst plus-minus rating of minus-six. One of the latest is that Sedin must be playing hurt.But the Canucks state Henrik is not playing hurt.
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Hockey
Trotz says Canucks are embellishing for calls
If Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis can complain about the officiating in the Stanley Cup playoffs than Nashville Predators head coach Barry Trotz felt completely comfortable discussing a couple of questionable calls from Game 3.
- Hockey Salo a game-time decision Whether or not the Vancouver Canucks will have veteran defenceman Sami Salo back in the lineup for Game 3 against the Nashville Predators (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 9 p.m. ET) will be a game-time decision.
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Hockey
Sedins slammed for scoring slump
The Vancouver Canucks have gone from the highest scoring team in the NHL regular season to the lowest scoring team in the Stanley Cup playoffs. This development has Daniel and Henrik Sedin under fire because, after all, Daniel won the Art Ross Trophy this season as the league scoring champ and his twin, who won the same piece of hardware a year ago, finished fourth this season.
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Hockey
Hamhuis will be all business in return to Nashville
When the second-round series between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators resumes on Tuesday, the quiet and efficient Dan Hamhuis will suit up for his first game at Bridgestone Arena since departing Nashville to sign with Vancouver last summer.
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Hockey
Canucks' 3rd-liners could be key to Cup
A common thread among past Stanley Cup championship teams has been a reliable third line. Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault may have found his magical threesome in centre Maxim Lapierre and his wings Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen.
- Hockey Hamhuis doesn't have any Rinne secrets Vancouver Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis is a popular guy among his teammates and coaching staff these days.
- Hockey Second-round storylines and predictions Tim Wharnsby takes a look at the second-round storylines and predicts who will advance to the Stanley Cup conference finals.
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Hockey
Pathologist's son gives Canucks life
Cajoling his players to rebound and win the series after losing the previous three may have been Alain Vigneault's best work as a coach. The son of Loraine and Maurice, the latter a pathologist, wanted nothing to do with an early autopsy after his team won the Presidents' Trophy with an outstanding regular season. He may need to beat the Nashville Predators in the next round in order to keep his job.
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Hockey
Canucks send Blackhawks packing
After two years of watching the Blackhawks celebrate a second-round victory, Vancouver rejoiced and exorcized their post-season demons with a 2-1 overtime victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions in Game 7 on Tuesday.
About the Author
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
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