Hockey Hearsay compiles stories from around the hockey world and runs weekdays, 12 months a year.
FLAMES’ HARTLEY MAINTAINS PERSPECTIVE
The Calgary Herald delves into just what gives coach Bob Hartley the sense of perspective which allows him to be unfazed at what lies ahead of him with a potentially ominous task of helping to rebuild this Flames team.
“You know, hockey has given me everything. I love the game. I OWE the game. We’re in the business of winning here. That’s my job. The only gauge. I understand that.
“So I’m as disappointed, as frustrated, as anyone when I leave the rink after we’ve lost a game. It hurts. Everyone. The fans. Players. Coaches. I’m as competitive as anyone.
“But when you’re the head coach of a team, you’re the mirror to everyone around here. Players. Trainers. You name it.
“So if I drag everyone down, it’s only going to get worse.”
Hartley was the coach of the Atlanta Thrashers at the time of the 2003 car crash which critically injured Dan Snyder. He died six days later. His friend and teammate Dany Heatley had been driving.
Hartley still has the strap of Snyder’s watch, given to him by Snyder’s mom. (Read the story behind the gesture) He’s worn it in every game he’s coached since Oct. 5th, 2003, as a reminder.
“It can’t always be easy,” says Bob Hartley. “For me, coaching is just like life. Good days. Bad days. It’s what you make of them.
PENS WANT IGINLA TO SHOOT
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes it remains to be seen if Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla and Chris Kunitz will remain a line combination once injured stars Sidney Crosby and James Neal return to the lineup.
One thing, though, is certain. Malkin and Kunitz want Iginla to play the role of trigger man as long as the trio remains together. Malkin and Kunitz spoke with Iginla before the Penguins played at Carolina on Tuesday, and the message was clear. They don’t want Iginla deferring to anyone.
“Kuny and ‘G’ both talked to me,” Iginla said. “They said to shoot the puck.”
Iginla had a chance to score on a rush but, instead, made one pass too many, surprising Kunitz with a feed.
“Kuny gave me the look,” Iginla said. “I passed up a good one.”
ZIBANEJAD, LEHNER XBOX RIVALRY GROWING
The Ottawa Sun depicts how Mika Zibanejad is sitting at his stall with reporters in the visitors dressing room after the Sens’ Tuesday’s morning skate in Tampa. From across the room, Robin Lehner tells somebody to ask Zibanejad about the loss he suffered a day earlier.
Apparently, the two have started quite a rivalry on Xbox.
“Oh, he got his first win in 10 games probably … it’s the first game he’s won on the whole road trip,” said Zibanejad. “I was Ottawa. He was Boston. I had HIM in net. He let in three out of four shots. In the first period I was down 3-0. What am I supposed to do?”
What else? He pulled Lehner.
“Right away,” said Zibanejad.
Lehner argued that wasn’t the first time he has defeated his fellow Swede.
“He’s leading, yeah, but he’s an Xbox veteran and I’m new,” he said. “And I still beat him. That says a lot. We’ll see what happens. We’re going to start now. Now we’re going to go on a series.”
ROBINSON CONTENT AS ASSISTANT COACH
The San Jose Mercury News points out that his name is engraved on the Stanley Cup nine times and that alone is enough to get any hockey player’s attention.
These days, that’s exactly what Larry Robinson wants. Because among his roles as an associate coach on the Sharks bench, Robinson likes the one of teacher enough to put it on his list of reasons for not wanting another stint as an NHL head coach.
“I enjoy the teaching part of it,” he said. “I found that as a head coach you weren’t given time to do that because there were so many more things you had to worry about — speaking with the G.M. every day, making sure everything was up to speed, who you’re going to dress and who you’re not going to dress.”
While there was a brief flirtation with the head coaching job in Montreal, Robinson has made it clear that he isn’t looking for that title in San Jose or anywhere else. One rung down the ladder suits him well. Beyond the reduced stress and added time for teaching, he explained, there’s also less of a need to maintain “that little bit of a barrier” between coach and the players.
PANTHERS WOULDN’T MOVE KULIKOV
The Miami Herald reflects on the fact that last week, Florida defenseman Dmitry Kulikov’s name started popping up on the rumor sheets as teams came to the Panthers to see if they would move him.
General manager Dale Tallon said he never considered moving Kulikov, a player he says he likes and thinks is part of the Panthers’ future. Kulikov signed a two-year deal with the Panthers at the end of the lockout so he is signed through next season.
“He seems to have a nice energy right now,” head coach Kevin Dineen said. “He’s playing well, and it looks like he is enjoying himself out at the rink every day. He’s an easy teammate to be around. We play a game, and you go out there and there are a lot of things that make it a business. But, it’s still a game. They should enjoy it.”
STASTNY ECHOES GIGUERE: “WE NEED ANGRY”
Ahead of Paul Stastny’s return to the lineup Wednesday night, he discussed the comments by goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere made Monday; echoing some of the frustrated veteran’s sentiment.
“We need guys to be (angry) every time we lose. Whether you’re out of the playoffs or not, (losing) can’t be an attitude you’re used to,” Stastny said.
SABRES’ PRESIDENT HUNGRY FOR WINNER
The Buffalo News identifies that Ted Black has been in Buffalo for more than two years, which is more than enough time for the Sabres’ president to understand the area’s sports fans.
“Fans here deserve a winner more than any city I have ever driven through, read about in a book, than I can possibly imagine,” Black said Wednesday during a nearly two-hour lunch meeting. “Fans here are among the best and most passionate in any sport. They deserve a winner. We’re going to do everything in our power to give them a winner.”
So far during the two-year ownership of Terry Pegula, it hasn’t happened. Fans have grown sour as the Sabres sit 23rd in the 30-team league.
“The disconnect, if there is one, is because we’re not delivering that winner,” Black said. “I’d be more concerned if fans stopped caring. They care about this team, and by team I mean franchise. It transcends the roster, quite frankly. They care more about this franchise than most other cities in any other sport.
“That’s why I want to win here. I would rather win here once than any other city 10 times.”
FORSBERG COULD JOIN PREDS SOON
The Nashville Tennessean reports the Predators are working toward bringing recently acquired Filip Forsberg to Nashville before the end of this season, and it’s possible he could arrive here as early as this weekend.
Preds coach Barry Trotz said if Forsberg did play in North America in this season, it would be for Nashville – as opposed to the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee.
“I would think he would come here because that would give us an extra body,” Trotz said. “He wouldn’t have to go to Milwaukee and then get called up or anything like that because we have two emergency recalls (Austin Watson and Daniel Bang) at forward right now. So we wouldn’t have to send anyone down.”
JAGR LIKES RISKY PLAYS
CSNNE.com describes how Gregory Campbell (with Patrice Bergeron recovering from a concussion) wouldn’t seem like a natural fit between Jaromir Jagr and Brad Marchand given his normal role on the fourth line, and Jagr – ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils – illustrated the pros and cons of having such a solid defensive pivot skating with them in terms that might make a defensive-mind coach like Claude Julien just a little nervous.
“Sometimes it’s hard for guys that haven’t played top six because they’re not used to making risky plays. But sometimes you have to take risky plays to make some great offensive play,” said Jagr, who might be the first player to utter the phrase “risky plays” in a positive light in the Bruins dressing room over the last six years. “But I know they don’t like to do that and they like to play safe. It’s tough to play with me and play safe.
“I like to take the risky stuff. But the great thing about [Campbell] is that he’s so responsible defensively that me and [Marchand] don’t have to worry about it that much. It worked pretty well in the last game.”
SODERBERG TO WING IT FOR BRUINS
The Boston Herald indicates 27-year-old Swedish Elite League center Carl Soderberg should be able to play at least five or six regular-season games for the Bruins and then the playoffs. Soderberg, a left-handed shot, has played center in Sweden but likely will begin his NHL career on the left wing.
“I think we’d like to try him on the wing first and see if he’s comfortable there,” Bruins president Cam Neely said yesterday on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “Obviously, playing center at this level is not as easy as it may appear, with coverage down low and both corners. Understanding that part of the game takes some time. Who knows how quick a study he’ll be.”
Neely added this: “He’s played against men in the Swedish Elite League and has had success doing it. It’s just a matter of getting adjusted to the North American style. (In Europe, there is a) bigger ice surface and less contact. But he’s a big body. He protects the puck well. He skates well. He’s got a good shot. But we have to temper this a little bit if he does get over here based on getting adjusted to this style of game.”