Hockey Hearsay

Hockey Hearsay runs weekdays, 12 months a year; mixing NHL stories, quotes and fantasy takes.

It's like the stock market, according to The Vancouver Province.

Projecting the long-term effect of Ken Hitchcock can be a high-risk, high-reward venture. The last two months have confounded some analysts with the driven coach rocketing back into blue-chip territory. And he might be around for the long haul this time. In compiling a 19-5-5 record since replacing Davis Payne behind the bench of the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 6, he has gained more than just Jack Adams Trophy attention; Hitchcock has also gained perspective.

While the hype here is high for an unlikely No. 1 versus No. 2 midseason conference showdown Thursday, it wouldn't be possible if Hitchcock didn't feel there was more urgency than just getting back in the game and winning the next one. When cancer claimed coaching confidant Pat Burns on Nov. 19, 2010, it sent more than a shiver through the spine of the 60-year-old Edmonton native. They had formed a strong bond since junior hockey, coached together at the 2008 world championship and opposed each other in the final NHL game for Burns. They talked as much about life as line changes. It changed Hitchcock, who was fired by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 3, 2010. He's still hard on his players but there's a softer side. Just ask Blues captain David Backes.

"He's kind of a, 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed,' type of guy and that hurts even more," said Backes, who has 13 points (4-9) in his last dozen games and leads the club in scoring with 31 points (14-17). "He's like a dad that's disappointed in their kids. He says: 'This is unacceptable, we're better than this, I know we are.' That kind of stings your competitiveness. He's been very instrumental."

While remaining in an advisory capacity with the Blue Jackets after being fired, the imposing figure with the big-time coaching resume wanted to give back to the little kids. Burns taught him that. Hitchcock travelled throughout B.C. conducting free clinics and helped junior coaches because it wasn't about filling hours by being a rink rat. It was about leaving a legacy.

"We became very close and his passing hit home more than anything I've been associated with for a long time," said Hitchcock. "As you get older, you get looking around and what impact have I had in the world? You're record is your record and, yeah, 500 wins. Big deal. Was I just going to wait for a job? I wanted to do something of importance and didn't want to wait for the damn phone to ring. I can leave a real positive impact with these kids."

The Toronto Sun points out that for a the second time in two years, Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf has been voted the NHL’s most overrated player in a Sports Illustrated poll of his peers.

And that sent general manager Brian Burke flying over the boards to defend him.

The magazine sampled 161 players, presumably including some Leafs, and results came back with Phaneuf topping 10 players, with Alexander Ovechkin second, Roberto Luongo fourth and Toronto teammate Mike Komisarek 10th.

“Whoever fills out the ballot has a room-temperture IQ,” Burke thundered Wednesday night during an interview on The Fan 590. “What player votes in a poll like this? I will speak slowly when I see (them) because you’re obviously a cretin.”

Phaneuf, having his best season as a Leaf with nearly 30 points, might not be the Norris Trophy candidate as some suggest, but the captain is not overrated. He could, however, be getting over-exposure in the big Toronto media market.

“You know what it is? (Some) people hate the Maple Leafs,” Burke claimed. “They hate that we’re the centre of the hockey universe.

“I’ve told (people) today, fly to Ottawa (on Jan. 28) and discuss this with him, because he’s a starter in the all-star game.”

Phaneuf had departed the MasterCard Centre on Wednesday afternoon when the poll was released and was unavailable for comment. In 2010, when he was given the same dubious title, he diplomatically said that players were entitled to their opinion.

Sean Avery will remain a member of the AHL Whale for the time being despite the fact the Rangers have been asked by a NHL club to place the exiled winger on re-entry waivers, The New York Post has learned.

Sources have told The Post general manager Glen Sather rejected that request, instead offering to trade Avery in a minor-league deal under which the Rangers would take back additional dollars but the responsibility for placing Avery on re-entry would then pass to the acquiring club that would then bear the burden of carrying dead salary-cap space upon a claim.

The Post has learned there is at least one other club also prepared to claim Avery, who cleared waivers on Dec. 30 and was thereafter assigned to Connecticut for the second time this season, if the Rangers place him on re-entry.

When Sather was asked yesterday by The Post if the Rangers would agree to put Avery through the re-entry process, the GM replied via email: “Not now.”

Avery’s full cap hit for the remainder of the season is just a tick over $890,000 as of tomorrow. Therefore, the Rangers would be hit with approximately $445,000 of dead cap space upon a re-entry claim.

The NHL has calculated that scenario would theoretically cost the Rangers $2 million in available space at the Feb. 27 trade deadline: $1 million of accrued space for which the club would be charged plus $1 million it therefore would not save.

Sather’s willingness to acquire AHL players on one-way contracts who would then be assigned to the Whale creates the possibility of a cash-poor club with ample salary-cap space making such an exchange with the Rangers, knowing that Avery would be claimed on re-entry.

"Actually my hat's off to him for calling himself out," Jeremy Roenick told The Philadelphia Daily News on the subject of embattled Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. "I respect him for calling himself out. For telling the media that he's not been good. He's not hiding behind anything. He might be a little too honest. But hopefully people can appreciate that."

They will if he stops more pucks. Which was the gist of Roenick's message to Bryzgalov in a face-to-face encounter at the Winter Classic that day. Let the universe run itself for the time being, leave the tigers to themselves, too. "Just worry about stopping the puck," Roenick said he told Bryz at the Classic, evoking thanks and a smile of appreciation.

"He's one of the better goaltenders I've played against in my career and a very difficult guy to score against when he's on," Roenick said. "I told him that. I told him he has all the tools and all the talent, and that you don't get the contract that you got for being a schlep. So stay with it. Stay positive. If this team is going to win a Stanley Cup it's going to be because of you, the way it normally is. I think Claude Giroux, at the halfway point, is the MVP of the league. But you win and lose Cups because of your goaltender."

Curtis Glencross has always had the tools to succeed in the National Hockey League, according to the Calgary Herald.

Speed, accurate shot, strong on the puck.

Consistency? That was another issue, one that often led to coach Brent Sutter’s doghouse.

Well, it would seem that is no longer a topic because the 29-year-old winger has been about as rock solid as you can expect from any player through the Calgary Flames’ first 44 games this season.

Is it maturity, a new long-term contract, a second season with centre Olli Jokinen or taking on more responsibility that has propelled the farm boy from Kindersley, Sask., into prominence?

Or a combination of all of the above?

The fourth-year Flame has the No. 1 shooting percentage in the National Hockey League, 18 goals and is coming off his first four-point night as he streaks towards yet another career season.

“It all adds in,” Sutter said following Wednesday morning’s practice. “The expectations of the way I wanted Glenny to play, felt the way he needed to play . . . I know we went through some tough times last year but it’s all a growing experience.

“You learn from them and he’s responded in the right way and if that’s maturity or whatever, it’s been positive and that’s a good thing.”

The Herald says Jokinen, who’s having a solid season himself, is quick to give credit to Glencross for much of it.

“Glenny plays in straight lines, goes to the net. I compare him to Gary Roberts. I had my best offensive years playing with Gary and Glenny’s a very similar player, very good in the corners, goes to the net and keeps the game simple so he’s got a lot of the same elements that Roberts had.

“I think he’s definitely more focused. He’s not a young guy anymore. The good thing with him is he wants to get better. He likes to score goals but that’s not the only thing he does well . . . killing penalties, doing little things right.

“I think the biggest change with him is he’s very focused.’’

The trio (which includes captain Jarome Iginla), since being united a couple months ago, has been tearing it up on the scoresheet despite taking on other teams’ top lines in just as much of a shutdown role. Iginla has 10 goals and 21 points in the last 20 games, Jokinen seven goals and 20 points in the last 20 and Glencross 10 goals and 18 points in the last 16.

The Winnipeg Sun relays that Sharks centre Joe Thornton is happy to see Winnipeg back in the NHL and he’s heard plenty about the reputation of the fans who fill the MTS Centre.

“We’ve heard the Jets are really potent here, like playing in front of these fans and that the fans are unbelievable,” said Thornton, whose Sharks face the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. “This is a game I had circled on my calendar when the schedule came out in July. As a kid, I always followed the Canadian teams and the Jets were one of them. It’s natural for them to be back. Going to a new city, a new building is always fun.”

The contest is sure to be special for the two Manitobans on the Sharks’ roster, forwards Andrew Murray of Selkirk and Winnipegger Frazer McLaren.

Both players were battling to scrounge up roughly 20 tickets for friends and family members and were eager to be playing at MTS Centre for the first time since their AHL days.

“It feels like yesterday that I was living here and playing high school hockey,” said McLaren, who suited up for the Kelvin Clippers for a season before joining the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League in 2003-04. “This is crazy. I played here a couple of years ago against the Manitoba Moose and that was an unbelievable experience. It’s almost surreal to be playing an NHL game here. I’ve heard it’s just electric in the rink. I’m excited.”

If you were watching the Ducks game against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, The Orange County Register points out that you might have noticed something interesting.

You might have noticed a 57-year-old coach trying to cool down a 41-year-old fired-up Finn.

At one point in the third period of the Ducks’ 5-2 victory at Honda Center, Bruce Boudreau found himself muzzling Teemu Selanne on the bench.

Selanne, who has a history of disagreeing quite openly with on-ice officials, apparently was upset at what he considered overly aggressive play by the Stars.

“He was a little wound up,” Boudreau said. “He had that Finnish blood going in him. How do you settle down a 41-year-old guy who’s going to be in the Hall of Fame? I just said ‘Relax!’ That’s pretty well all you can do. He was getting a little wound up, though, I gotta tell you.”

The Denver Post reports that Avalanche forward Peter Mueller was activated from injured reserve and could play tonight against the Nashville Predators​.

Mueller has played only 18 games in three seasons with the Avalanche because of two concussions and continuing head problems. Recently, he has been practicing with the team regularly after sitting out for a period last month. He played only in the first three games this season.

Mueller, 23, missed all of last season after suffering his second concussion in five months during a preseason game on Sept. 22, 2010.

To make room for Mueller on their 23-man roster, the Avs placed defenseman Shane O'Brien (knee) on IR, retroactive to Jan. 7.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune believes that Pierre-Marc Bouchard did everything right.

He patiently waited 20 months for his brain to heal. He started wearing a helmet designed to help prevent concussions. He began wearing a new mouthguard, also designed to help prevent concussions.

But all it took was one hit from behind and one elbow to the chin to render Bouchard with another concussion.

Now the Wild winger prays he's not back to square one.

"We're trying to be positive here," Bouchard said Wednesday -- one day after it was announced he would be sidelined indefinitely because of a concussion. "There's symptoms that I had in my previous one that I don't have right now. I guess it could be a good sign. But I still have headaches."

Bouchard's previous concussion limited him to one game from March 2009 to December 2010. But during that concussion and subsequent bout with post-concussion syndrome "pretty much everything used to bother" Bouchard, "like driving and watching TV."

"I'm able to do those things right now," he said.

Bouchard will rest and receive treatment. He has yet to make an appointment with Boston-based concussion specialist Robert Cantu, who treated Bouchard two years ago. Bouchard said he will be patient and not begin working out until he's 100 percent symptom free.

"I wish I could give you a timetable," he said. "I'm positive I can come back. The only bad thing about concussions is you don't know how much time it's going to take."

Asked if he was worried his career could be in jeopardy, Bouchard said, "I'm not thinking about this right now. I'm just focusing on getting better as quick as I can. We'll see how it goes and where it takes me."

Email: chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com

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­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.