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HUDLER DISAPPOINTED BY OLYMPIC SNUB
The Calgary Herald points out Flames forward Jiri Hudler kept quiet for more than a week before breaking his silence on the shocking decision by Czech officials to not name him to the Olympic team.
“Disappointing,” he said. “But there is nothing I can do about it. Just disappointed. A little sad.”
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Hudler said of the snub. “Just disappointed.”
On if he’ll watch the Olympics: “I don’t know where I’m going to be,” he smiled. “I think where I’m going to be, there’s not even going to be channels. But if I’m somewhere I could (watch the games), for sure.”
On if he’d join the Czechs as a last-minute addition: “I don’t think about it because the only reason I’d is if somebody got hurt. And of course, you don’t (want to have) anybody get hurt. So I’m focused on being in Calgary, on us right now, getting out of that little slump that we had.
“Like I said, the season’s not over. I feel great physically. So you’ve got to keep going.”
JETS, CANUCKS, HABS TESTING FITNESS DEVICE
Fascinating look in The Globe and Mail at a product called the Zephyr BioHarness, which monitors heart rate and an array of other fitness indicators.
The Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets have all begun to experiment with the devices, seeing what the data can do to provide an edge.
“It’s a game of inches. You need an extra step,” said Lee Stubbs, Winnipeg Jets assistant athletic therapist and strength and conditioning coach.
Injury prevention is the Jets’ No. 1 aim. “Guys who are tired are definitely more prone to injury,” Stubbs said.
He notes: “Data doesn’t lie – it shows: Are they tired? Are they overworked? It’s nice to have the data to go to the head coach and say, ‘These guys need the day off, we’ve been banging them pretty hard.’”
SEGUIN ENJOYS BEING GO-TO GUY FOR STARS
The Edmonton Sun indicates Dallas forward Tyler Seguin reflected on his time in Boston compared with his first year in Dallas.
“It’s definitely night and day,” said the 21-year-old. “Walking into one team where you’re winning pretty much every night and expected to win, you have to play whatever role you’re given. Then you’re put into a different team where it’s kind of like, you’re the guy who needs to produce.
“We’re not really Stanley Cup contenders, but this is going to be a process. It’s just different. I liked where I was in Boston and I like this as well. I’m feeling a little bit more a part of something just because in Boston I’m an added on piece where here I’m more of a front-line player.”
Shawn Horcoff on Seguin’s off-ice reputation from his time in Boston: “He goes out about half as much as I’ve expected a kid his age to. He picks his spots at the right times. When he does go out, he’s under control.
“I haven’t seen a single thing that warrants any of the stuff that was written about him when he was in Boston. I don’t know, maybe he did want to come here and want to change a little bit, but the kid was 20 years old, he had a Stanley Cup, he signed a big deal…
“In a lot of ways I blame the organization for not helping squash that. But that’s in the past for him, he’s become outstanding.”
DODGER STADIUM ICE CONDITIONS KEY
LA Kings Insider illustrates how the Stadium Series game that will take place at Dodger Stadium January 25 should paint a picturesque vista for hockey fans.
An outdoor in California though? Ice integrity will be key.
“This is an NHL game. Two points on the table,” said Dan Craig, the NHL’s Senior Director of Facilities Operations.
“Especially with clubs like this, these guys are going to be battling for first overall. It’s not that they’re fighting for a playoff spot, they’re going to be in the playoffs. They’re going to be one and two. They don’t want to lose these two points and I don’t want in any way of our conditions dictate how they’re going to play the game.”
Craig added: “I can play an exhibition here tomorrow. I can put water down and away we go. I’ll put a cone out and we’ll skate around it. But this is an NHL game. I do not want one player worrying about where his skate is going and how the puck is moving – not one thing. That is my crew’s goal. We are perfectionists.”
Interesting note in that article: Though they haven’t been used yet in the setup of any outdoor NHL games, reflective tarps will reflect the sun away from the playing surface once the ice is laid.
“If you wanted to go sunbathing, you could do that,” Craig said.
ROOKIE MURRAY QUIETLY EXCELS FOR JACKETS
Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards, via The Columbus Dispatch, offers his insight into rookie defenseman Ryan Murray’s game.
“He has no flash,” Richards said. “He doesn’t have the speed — not yet. He’s not a forward, so he’s not going to put up numbers like Nathan McKinnon. He doesn’t have a booming shot like Seth Jones. But, hopefully, the people who vote for the Calder will take a close look at what he does.”
What does he do?
“It’s almost like he takes a snapshot of the ice before he gets the puck,” Richards said. “He knows where everybody is, he has a real good idea of where the puck needs to go and he has the ability to get it there. That sounds simple, but for a lot of defensemen, it might take a career to learn.”
Richards added: “I have no qualms about putting him out there in any situation. None. And I say that without hesitation.”
VETERAN BALLARD SITS FOR WILD AGAIN
The Pioneer Press relays how 31-year-old Minnesota Wild defenseman Keith Ballard knows why he was a healthy scratch Tuesday for the fourth straight game.
“We’ve been winning games, so why change?” Ballard said. “The guys are playing well and it’s up to me to be a good teammate. I’ve done everything I can on the ice and in the gym. I’ve watched a ton of video on my own to make sure that when I do play, I’m ready to go.”
He added: “I understand. I’ve been around long enough. I’m not 22 years old anymore. I understand when I play well and I understand when I play bad. I don’t need anyone to say you played well or you played bad. I understand that for a bit it’s been up and down for me.”
OATES DRAWS THORNTON, WILSON DEVELOPMENT COMPARISON
The Washington Post notes Capitals coach Adam Oates uses Tuesday night’s opponent, Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks, to draw a comparison with Caps rookie Tom Wilson and his limited ice time. Wilson is averaging around seven minutes a night, while Thornton was at about eight minutes as a rookie with the Boston Bruins.
“Love the player, love him,” Oates said of Thornton. “Great player, big physical guy, shows up every night, very durable, very strong on the puck, really like him as a player. Boston treated him great, a little bit like what we’re doing with Willy. Just had him around because they felt he belonged in the NHL, which I agree with and gave him sporadic minutes at times and more when they could, let him ease into the league.”
BABCOCK: NYQUIST NEEDS TO GET PUCKS ON NET
The Detroit Free Press describes how Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist’s production has tapered off with one goal and two assists in his last 13 games.
“This is what I’d tell you about Gus — we talk about it all the time — you don’t get any points in the league for style,” said Wings coach Mike Babcock. “You gotta get the puck to the net. So when you’re a pure passer and you don’t feel that that’s your job, you never shoot the puck. Most guys with lots of assists got a whole bunch by passing it off the goalie. That isn’t part of his repertoire yet and we’re working on it and he’s working.”