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Preds Secure Erat for Seven More Seasons

Preds Secure Erat for Seven More Seasons

Filed under: General NHL, Predators, Fantasy Hockey

While the trading away of veterans Tomas Vokoun, Scott Hartnell, and Kimmo Timonen signaled a cleaning of the Nashville Predators’ house, and reeked of a ‘ asset sell off’, the Preds have quietly done a good job in securing their premium young players to long-term deals.

First, it was David Legwand, who signed for 6 seasons and $27 million. Now? It’s Martin Erat, who was rewarded for his fine playmaking skills with a 7-year deal worth $31.5 million. W00t!

“Martin Erat is a perfect example of this organization’s philosophy,” Poile stated. “He came to us as a seventh-round draft pick, and grew steadily into an elite player when given an opportunity to succeed. He has continued to take on more responsibility and is an integral part of our team moving forward. We look forward to his leadership and production for the next seven years.”

As fellow FanHouser James Mirtle notes, Erat is getting paid quite handsomely for a guy who puts up a good-but-not-great 55-60 points a season. Given Erat’s upside, he *should* be able to do better in the future, and he has the skills to do so.

Next up for the Preds? Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, the two cornerstone defensemen who will both want similar contracts, and one Dan Ellis, who won the #1 goaltender’s job after Chris Mason laid a whole basket of eggs.

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Errors and Omissions: Sorry That I Gave NHL Officiating Too Much Credit

Errors and Omissions: Sorry That I Gave NHL Officiating Too Much Credit

Filed under: Buffalo, General NHL, Flyers, Sabres, NHL Videos

If you remember all the way back to, stay with me here, last night then you might remember my post about a ridiculous “goal” that Finland scored on Team USA during the IIHF World Championship qualifying round. If you don’t, then feel free to check out the post.

Essentially, Finland’s second goal went through (or under, it’s not exactly clear) the side of the net. Upon video review, it is blatant to anyone who isn’t legally blind that this is, in fact, what happened. But no matter, video replay officials did not pick up on any of that. I went on to say in the post that we should be thankful that no matter how bad the officiating is in the NHL, it’s not this bad.

Boy, was I wrong.

Kevin at BfloBlog pointed out today that this exact thing happened to the Sabres during the 2000 playoffs. I’ll let him explain.

Sadly, it is very possible [that NHL refs are as bad as their IIHF counterparts], because it happened in an NHL game in 2000, when Philadelphia defeated Buffalo 2-1 in Game two of their playoff series [Pictured above! — KS]. Philly’s first goal came off the stick of John LeClair, but the puck actually entered through a hole in the side of the net. I was in a hotel bar in Pennsylvania watching the look on Hasek’s face as he checked and re-checked his glove, thinking the puck had to have gone through his glove, because he had the net covered. Then there’s the scene of Sabres GM Darcy Regier storming the replay booth and furiously pointing at the replay monitors while the replay officials just shrugged their shoulders. Remember, at this point the NHL claimed they reviewed ALL goals thanks to another no-goal incident involving the Sabres just one year previous.

So yes, I was wrong. NHL officiating is actually, unbelievably, as bad as the IIHF officiating that we saw last night. I sincerely regret the error. For your amusement, video of the goal in question follows the jump.

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Stars Lament Game One Loss in Detroit

Stars Lament Game One Loss in Detroit

Filed under: Dallas, Detroit, General NHL, Wings, Stars, Stanley Cup

Everyone who watched Game One of the Western Conference Finals Thursday night is keenly aware that the Detroit Red Wings basically skated circles around the Dallas Stars.

This isn’t a great surprise, but the Stars look at it as a lesson. For the first time in these playoffs, the Stars have failed to win a series opener. In dropping this one, they left little doubt that Detroit was the better team.

One thing was clear last night. Dallas can get back in this thing. They just have to start moving their feet.

“You can’t stand around and watch the puck,” said captain Brenden Morrow.

He’s right. The Stars were caught puck-watching last night, and they paid dearly for it. They took lazy penalties, they made bad decisions with the puck, and they didn’t generate any speed through the neutral zone.

Blame it on the San Jose series if you want, but you could also argue that Dallas looked tired.

Center Brad Richards said the Stars may have suffered from fatigue after an emotional, four-overtime win in Game 6 on Sunday night to close out the San Jose Sharks. “The speed of the game, in all areas, we were a little bit behind,” Richards said.

I still feel that a long series could work in Dallas’ favor, but it has to become a long series first. The Stars looked meek in their own zone last night, and they don’t have much on the sidelines they can call on. Rookie Matt Niskanen may be a better puck-mover, but he’s not moving Johan Franzen or Tomas Holmstrom from the front of the net. Neither is anyone else. Coach Dave Tippett has to find a way to deny them the puck in the tough areas, because keeping them out of those areas is a near-impossibility.

There will probably be some rumbling about the play of Dallas goaltender Marty Turco, who allowed four goals on 31 shots. He’s now 0-8-2 all-time at Joe Louis Arena, and that ain’t good. However, Tippett dismissed any potential demons surrounding this arena.

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Report: Waddell Asked to Leave

Report: Waddell Asked to Leave

Filed under: Atlanta, General NHL, Thrashers

ESPN.com’s Scott Burnside reports that Atlanta Thrashers general manager Don Waddell has been asked to step aside.

Waddell has been asked by the Atlanta Thrashers to give up his duties and accept another management position, ESPN.com has learned.

Waddell, one of the managers of the U.S. entry in the World Championships, will apparently make his decision after the tournament, a source close to the team said Friday.

Ownership is believed to have given Waddell a contract extension earlier this season, even though the team has never won a playoff game since entering the league in 1999. But even though ownership has been preaching patience and insisting publicly that it supports the work done by Waddell, multiple sources close to the team say that ownership has been rethinking that stance after the Thrashers finished 28th overall this season.

The assumption, the source told ESPN.com, is that if Waddell declines to take the as-yet-unidentified management position, he will leave the organization.

Considering how bad Atlanta was this season, and how bad they’ve been (outside of one playoff appearance), this move was probably inevitable. Burnside’s article chronicles some of Waddell’s bad moves, highlighted by the Alex Zhitnik-for-Braydon Coburn swap that looks bad for multiple reasons. For one, Coburn has emerged as a top defenseman for Philadelphia, and then there’s the fact that Zhitnik is old, makes a lot of money, and didn’t even play down the stretch.

The Atlanta franchise has one legit star in Ilya Kovalchuk, but there isn’t much else happening. Whoever takes over for Waddell has a ton of work to do.

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Jacques Lemaire Will Coach Wild in 2008-2009

Filed under: Minnesota, General NHL, Wild

The incomparable Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports Minnesota Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire has decided to return for another season.

“When you are younger, it’s a lot easier to make a decision,” Lemaire said in a statement released by the team. “At the end of the year, I said I wanted to ask questions of Doug (president and general manager Doug Risebrough). I wanted to make sure my boss is happy with the work I am doing and with the way I manage the team. This is what we talked about in our meetings. I am reassured of my work and I want to coach again. My satisfaction behind the bench is getting the team to play the best it can, individually and as a group. Success will come with that.”

Lemaire is the only coach the Wild have ever had. At age 62, he sounded after the season ended like a man who knows he won’t be doing this coaching thing forever, but he didn’t sound like a guy ready to hang it up.

Now the work begins. General manager Doug Risebrough may end up retooling the roster, as the Wild have 13 free agents. They had 14, but Petteri Nummelin has already decided to play in Europe.

Such a high number of contract-year players may have led to some selfish play during the regular season, but Russo has noted a couple different times that Lemaire was pleased with the team’s effort during their first-round playoff loss to Colorado.

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The Ice Sheet: Hockey Returns

The Ice Sheet: Hockey Returns

Filed under: Dallas, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, General NHL, Rangers, Flyers, Penguins, Wings, Stars, Stanley Cup

Each day from Monday to Saturday, The Ice Sheet will take a look at the biggest stories in the league that happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.

Don’t remind me that the offseason is swiftly approaching. There will be many nights like Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Here’s hoping the NHL Network can find superior “vintage games” than Devils-Flyers 2004 Game Five. Listen, I have nothing against that game, but it’s hardly a “classic”. It’s going to be a long summer. Oh, and it’s the NHL Network. Give me that four-overtime Avalanche-Panthers Cup clincher. I mean, Uwe Krupp rules, and he scored the game-winner.

Back on task, you need not worry about a lack of hockey anymore. The Ice Sheet is back, as the conference finals are set to get underway. We’ve already offered you previews of the East and West (read the East one, because the West was written by some idiot from Minnesota). You’re invited to check them out.

As for other hockey news, there’s some. We’ll cover that, and offer some final words on the NHL’s version of the “Final Four” after the jump.

Where does Jagr end up? Jaromir Jagr is a free agent this summer. Take note, because this has never happened before. Jagr knows it, and he’s also likely aware that this is his last chance at a big-money contract. The Rangers may have been bounced in the second round with relative ease by Pittsburgh, but Jagr proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has the ability to still play, and he has the desire to win.

For his part, Jagr states the Rangers are the first option for 2008-2009. He hinted that he’s apt to return to Europe in two more years to fulfill a promise to his father. That means he’ll want to play for a team that has a real chance at the Cup. Do the Rangers qualify? They have a lot of money tied up in veteran forwards, and they’re sorely in need of an upgrade on defense. Henrik Lundqvist is a great goaltender, but he can’t do it alone, and he was too often left on an island against Pittsburgh. Either guys weren’t getting back, or they would screen him when they did get back. New York will continue to be good, but they aren’t a legitimate contender if they don’t address their issues on defense.

Paul Maurice: You’re fired. No surprise here. Maurice got the axe in Toronto after two years outside of the playoffs. One year is bad enough in Toronto, but a second year would get anyone fired up there, even if there wasn’t a new GM coming. Colleague Jes Golbez makes a great point on his blog, saying that it’s not like the Maple Leafs have been a well-oiled machine from the top down. Bad signings and bad trades crippled the roster, and while Maurice doesn’t inspire confidence in his tactical abilities, he didn’t have much of a shot with this team.

Make fun of the rabid Toronto fan base all you want, but they don’t accept mediocrity. Then again, “mediocrity” would be a step up from what we saw much of this past season.

The Maple Leafs job reminds me of the Dallas Cowboys coaching position. The pressure is tremendous, and the chances of satisfying a significant percentage of the fans, along with ownership, are usually not very high.

What you may have missed. The NHL hasn’t been doing much, but FanHouse has been busy. Here’s a quick sample of what you may have missed since that four-overtime game Sunday night.

Leafs Give Maurice the Boot
John Tavares Fires Agent, Hires Mommy
Ron Wilson Might Need Some Lessons on Motivation in the Workplace
Sabres Sign Boston College Star Gerbe
Detroit’s “Mule” Pulls a Big Load
FanHouse Roundtable: NHL Playoff Officiating
America, Prepare to Be Blinded by Don Cherry
Hockeysfuture Purchased by CraveOnline

Final thoughts: Conference finals. If you’re looking for more great material on these series, check out James Mirtle, who interviewed bloggers from the final teams, and Earl Sleek, who has some great stuff on the Dallas-Detroit series.

I already opined on Dallas-Detroit, and I like the Wings in a close shave. In the East, I feel the series will come down to the play of Marc-Andre Fleury. He’s been great so far, but the Flyers have made two goalies (Huet and Price) look bad so far in the playoffs, and they’d love to do the same to the Pennsylvania rival goaltender. If Fleury plays well, can he frustrate a team that’s scored a few softies so far, or will the Flyers bear down and beat him anyway? I like Pittsburgh, but I don’t think it will be anything close to a cakewalk. It should easily be tougher than either of Pittsburgh’s first two series.

Random YouTube, or maybe not Random at all. It’s been 20 years since Jim Schoenfeld dropped a tirade for the ages on Don Koharski. In fact, Might 8 is the 20th anniversary of the controversial one-game suspension handed down to Schoenfeld.

I’m nearly humiliated to state that Koharski’s officiating career easily outlasted Schoenfeld’s NHL coaching career, which ended in 1999. And he still stinks after all these years.

Let’s all have a doughnut in honor of this monumental anniversary.

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Cuthbert and Phaneuf: The Photographic Evidence

Filed under: Los Angeles, General NHL, Rangers, Canadiens, Flames, NHL Rumors

For the past couple of months now we’ve been reading rumors of a relationship between Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf and actress Elisha Cuthbert. Now it seems as if we’ve got some serious photographic evidence via that paragon of journalistic integrity, Hollywood Tuna:

So it looks like Elisha Cuthbert gets passed around the NHL more than a hockey puck. Here she is with Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames. Now I’m not 100% sure that’s him since his face looks like it’s taken more beatings than Lindsay Lohan’s …

Yowch, feel the snark! Hollywood is a rough place.

Though the folks at HT don’t seem to be totally sure that it’s Phaneuf that they’ve captured walking beside Cuthbert, the hockey braintrust here at FanHouse is happy to confirm their suspicion — that’s certainly Phaneuf in this blowup.

As other have noted, this would mean that Cuthbert has finished something of an NHL dating hat trick, progressing from Rangers bad boy Sean Avery, through Habs defenseman Mike Komisarek and now to Phaneuf, the highest paid of the three.

As far as I’m concerned, we’re very happy that Cuthbert has decided to cut a swath through the NHL. In fact, we’re just waiting for the moment she gets hitched to a hockey player and starts dishing to the press much like Willa Ford, aka Mrs. Mike Modano.

HT: The Big Lead.

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Cuthbert and Phaneuf: The Photographic Evidence

Filed under: Los Angeles, General NHL, Rangers, Canadiens, Flames, NHL Rumors

For the past couple of months now we’ve been reading rumors of a relationship between Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf and actress Elisha Cuthbert. Now it seems as if we’ve got some serious photographic evidence via that paragon of journalistic integrity, Hollywood Tuna:

So it looks like Elisha Cuthbert gets passed around the NHL more than a hockey puck. Here she is with Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames. Now I’m not 100% sure that’s him since his face looks like it’s taken more beatings than Lindsay Lohan’s …

Yowch, feel the snark! Hollywood is a rough place.

Though the folks at HT don’t seem to be totally sure that it’s Phaneuf that they’ve captured walking beside Cuthbert, the hockey braintrust here at FanHouse is happy to confirm their suspicion — that’s certainly Phaneuf in this blowup.

As other have noted, this would mean that Cuthbert has completed something of an NHL dating hat trick, progressing from Rangers bad boy Sean Avery, through Habs defenseman Mike Komisarek and now to Phaneuf, the highest paid of the three.

As far as I’m concerned, we’re very happy that Cuthbert has decided to cut a swath through the NHL. In fact, we’re just waiting for the moment she gets hitched to a hockey player and starts dishing to the press much like Willa Ford, aka Mrs. Mike Modano.

HT: The Large Lead.

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Detroit’s “Mule” Pulls a Large Load

Filed under: Detroit, General NHL, Wings, Fantasy Hockey, Stanley Cup

One thing that I’ve always enjoyed about the NHL Playoffs are those blue-collar plumbers and grinders that go on an astounding streak and get a tiny bit of limelight to themselves. Guys like Chris Kontos, Dave Lowry, and John Druce were typically third line players that got little notice through most of their careers, but earned some fame for some unexpected playoff heroics.

As a Panthers fan, back in 1996, I’ll never forget Dave Lowry leading the Panthers in playoff scoring with 17 points and 10 goals. This, after scoring just 24 points during the whole season. Yowsa!

This season, Detroit’s Johan “Mule” Franzen has leaped into Conn Smythe contention with 11(!) goals, three assists, and +9 in 13 games, including two hat tricks. Not bad for a guy who had just 27 goals and 38 points in 72 games during the regular season.

Even more impressive is that Franzen’s 11 goals scored is a Red Wings record for one playoff year. That’s quite a feat, given the Wings have had many great postseason performers, such as Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan.

The Mule still has one or two more series to go, and just might put that team record out of reach for good.

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The LA Kings are… Losing Money?

The LA Kings are… Losing Money?

Filed under: Los Angeles, General NHL, Kings, Western, NHL Economics

That can’t be right. Or can it? The Kings have always seemed to have some financial trouble, dating back to before the lockout. That’s common knowledge. After that we went through an entire year without hockey for the sole purpose of restoring the financial viability of all the clubs. There were, and are, no guarantees that the clubs are all in the green, but from everything we’ve been told over the last three years they’re doing much better than prior to the lockout. But wait … The Los Angeles Daily News reported today that the Kings are losing more money now than they were prior to the lockout. Those emboldened words are key here.

I’ll let that you soak that in for a moment while I present you with an excerpt from the Daily News.

The Kings declined to release specific numbers, but stated they’re losing more money per year now than before the lockout. At the begin of the lockout, the Kings claimed to be losing $8 to $10 million a year.

“We’re building our organization differently, to meet the reality that we’re losing even more than we did before the lockout,” chief marketing officer Chris McGowan stated. “We have to run a superior business.”

Thus, the ticket-price increases, even coming off a season in which the Kings tied for the fewest points in the NHL. The Kings believe the increases are necessary, in part, to help stabilize their bottom line.

So are the Kings really losing more money now than before the lockout? Wasn’t the point of the lockout to fix problems such as these?

Now I know there are teams that still have issues in the post-lockout world that we live in. The Islanders are seemingly going to have issues until the day that they get a new lease/arena. I reside in the Carolinas and the word around here in some circles is that the Canes are struggling and with their lease expiring, they might be in limbo. Is it so far fetched to believe that the Kings are losing money at a higher pace than prior to the lockout? Would it (again) save them money if they shut up shop for a year?

The answer is that there’s no clear answer. It’s a little from Column A and a tiny from Column B. There’s no doubt that there are teams in the league that are losing money. In professional sports, it’s hard to keep 30 teams above water unless, of course, you’re the NFL and have a billion dollar television contract. The NHL isn’t the NFL and thus, does not have it’s financial situation handed to it on a silver platter. I can’t state I think the Kings are lying. They finished tied for dead last in the NHL this year and, if you believe ESPN’s attendance numbers, they were 21st at the gate this year. Those are not good numbers.

But there’s one thing that everyone seems to overlook here. The Kings are not a sole entity. That is to state, they’re not akin to a mom and pop store down the street (I know it sounds weird, but let me explain). What I mean is that the Kings have backing and other assets, even if it’s not owned in title. For example, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a mom and pop operation, owned by the Rooney family for ages. The Rooneys did not make their money elsewhere and then purchase the franchise — just the opposite. The Steelers are the family business. This is what the Kings are not. What the Kings are is a subsidiary of Anschutz Entertainment Group. Anschutz is a large conglomerate of sports and entertainment properties and, locally speaking, they own Staples Center, the Kings, Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS and have a stake in the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. And that’s not even the half of it. It’s quite the lineup they have there.

Now here’s what I’m not trying to state. I’m not saying the Kings are a big bad corporation. I’m not saying Anschutz is either. What I am saying, however, is that when you’ve a large corporation that owns many properties and has private books, money can get hidden. For example, the Kings pay rent to Staples Center so that they can play 42 home games a year there. But in reality, it’s like writing a check to your significant other. The money is still in the family.

That is precisely why there is a question mark in the title. It’s a cloudy and confusing matter and isn’t as cut and dry as it might seem to be. The Kings may not be in imminent danger but the quirky part is that we really don’t know. While they may certainly be in trouble, the money may not be as far from the roost as you might think. It’s tough to tell. It’s not something I — or any of us not directly associated with a private company can state for sure.

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