Hockey Hearsay compiles stories from around the hockey world and runs weekdays, 12 months a year.
PERRON LIVE-TWEETS OILERS-PANTHERS GAME
Edmonton winger David Perron is currently sidelined with a neck injury, but that didn’t stop him from cheering on his Oilers teammates with supportive tweets Tuesday night as he watched them beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime for his team’s fourth win of what has been yet another trying season for the franchise.
Former Oilers defenceman Mark Fistric got in the act…
https://twitter.com/Fistric45/status/397903183718006784
As did Oklahoma City Barons coach Todd Nelson
HILLER UNSURE OF FUTURE WITH DUCKS
The Los Angeles Times describes how the Anaheim Ducks have even greater goalie depth than thought. Aside from Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth (injured), Frederik Andersen has also emerged.
Does Hiller, in the final season of his contract, expect to last the season with the Ducks?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t decide everything. The only thing I can do is play as good as possible. That gives me the most opportunity for next summer. We have a good team here. It’s way more fun to have success as a team and personally. If the team plays well, it’s better for a goalie. I like it here. I’d love to stay.”
Boudreau dismissed the suggestion Hiller has become expendable.
“Hiller’s a great goalie and gives us great depth,” Boudreau said. “Andersen’s played good, but it’s a very small sample size. Hiller’s been great for five years. You’re not giving up on anybody who has been that good for you, who’s won playoff rounds for you, and then . . . anoint a guy who’s won four games.”
CANUCKS PROSPECT SHINKARUK READYING FOR 2014
The Vancouver Sun outlines how Vancouver Canucks prospect Hunter Shinkaruk, captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers, was named to Team WHL for the Subway Super Series against a touring Russian side.
Shinkaruk, selected by the Canucks 24th overall in last June’s NHL entry draft, had an excellent training camp with Vancouver.
“When I came back here after playing in all those pre-season games with the Canucks, I was pretty confident in my game and I thought I was playing at a pretty high level,” he said. “This is a year for me to work on all aspects of my game and to clear up all areas so when I get to Vancouver next year, I’ll give myself the best chance to make that team.”
BULLYING SERIOUS ISSUE TO PREDATORS
With the alleged Miami Dolphins bullying situation making the news recently, Predators forward Colin Wilson tells The Nashville Tennessean how he was cyber-bullied as an eighth- and ninth-grader growing up in Winnipeg.
“I saw other people in our dressing room who got it worse than me,” said Wilson. “I wish I did more to stop it, but I know there are certain people in that dressing room, and they still have problems with health because of how bad they were bullied.”
The Predators said they have a mentorship-type program in their locker room to try to prevent such issues. The organization always has made team chemistry a point of emphasis as well.
“It’s about taking care of the other guys first before taking care of yourself, and that’s what I think our leadership and our captains do,” coach Barry Trotz said. “I know the stuff they do off the ice and on the ice are pretty professional. That’s what we try to create with the Predators and what other teams do. I’m not concerned with that at all.”
ROOKIE BARKOV IMPRESSES PANTHERS
The Edmonton Sun describes how Florida Panthers centre Aleksander Barkov has made a seamless transition to the NHL after being the second overall pick in last summer’s entry draft.
“He’s got the patience of a 60-year-old man, he doesn’t let anything rattle him,” said Panthers forward Scott Gomez. “You can tell how skilled he is, how disciplined he is. He’s a great kid, too. He kind of reminds me of a Bobby Holik, just his size and his presence.
“You can tell he’s going to be one of the good ones. This is a younger league, but to just to turn 18 and see him doing as well as he’s doing is good to see. His future is definitely bright.”
QUICK TALKIN’ ABOUT PRACTICE
With the Kings having four straight days without a game, LA Kings Insider asks goaltender Jonathan Quick about practice.
On whether he is able to “enjoy” practice: “Practice is important. That’s where you form all your good habits and work on all the little details in your game that sometimes you lose when you miss practice, or when you’re playing every other night or playing back to back and you’re not getting enough practice time. And, those are the things you’ll start to lose in your game because you’re not working on it, you know the continued reps over and over again. Practice and games are so much different. So you need it. Everybody needs it, and so you get a break like this where you’ve got a couple days of practice. It’s a great opportunity to take advantage of what you have, and try to get better and just try to get better and work on all those little things.”
On whether he consciously pinpoints areas in his game he wants to improve in practice: “This situation’s a little different, where it’s four days without a game, four in a row. Usually it’s every game. We’ll break down the video and see things like little details in the game that need to be better, and that’s your focus – working on those things and making sure they’re better for the next game.”
AVALANCHE’S ROY: TALBOT PLAYS WITH GRIT
The Denver Post posed the question to Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy, in the wake of the Avs giving up Steve Downie to acquire Max Talbot from the Philadelphia Flyers: Downie has a rare blend of natural skill and sandpaper, will you miss that?
Roy: “Talbot is sandpaper, as much as Downie was, in my opinion. Is he going to drop the gloves as good as Downie? No. But, I mean … just watch him play the last two games. He played with a lot of grit and we’re certainly happy with that.”
Roy also said Flyers GM Paul Holmgren called him “five or six times” and every time asked about Downie. Roy was looking to add a primary penalty killer up front, and Talbot definitely has that over Downie.
WILD’S DUMBA SOAKING UP NHL EXPERIENCE
The St. Paul Pioneer Press notes with rookie Matt Dumba sitting on nine games played so far this season, one shy of the magical No. 10 – where the first year of his pro contract would kick in instead of returning to the Red Deer Rebels – Dumba continues to work with Minnesota defensive coaches Rick Wilson and Darryl Sydor.
“The amount of knowledge they have, it’s awesome,” Dumba said. “They’ve been around the game for a long time and know all the little tricks of the trade.”
He added: “It’s an awesome experience. I’m enjoying this, and I want to be here as long as I can and hopefully make a full year out of it.”
THEY TWEETED IT
https://twitter.com/DaveBolland/status/397765783905779712