Monday, November 13, 2006

Blue Jackets fire coach Gerard Gallant

The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired head coach Gerard Gallant.
Sources tell TSN it is expected that assistant coach Gary Agnew will be named interim head coach, but that a search for a full time head coach will commence immediately.
The Blue Jackets are off to a 5-9-1 start this season, Gallant's third season as head coach.
Gallant had been with the Blue Jackets since their first game. He was an assistant coach for three years before being named interim head coach in the 2003-04 season. After 45 games as interim coach, the Blue Jackets hired Gallant on a full time basis in June of 2004

HockeyBloggerman Response:

A change was definetley needed, coach gallant just didn't seem to get the most out of this club. If I were the GM, I would get rid of the interim coach as soon as possible and bring in a coach like Pat Quinn!

You have veterns like Modin, Federov, Carter, and Foote, and then with up and comers like Nash, Zherdev, and Kesla. He coaches an offensive game. Another option would be Hitchcock.

I would love to see this team do well because of the potential Columbus has.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Another disappointing effort by the Sens, on the winning goal 2 on 2 you see a lazy half-assed "defensive" play by Spezza trying to poke the pass from the Thrasher player over to Kozlov...I guess he STILL isn't hearing what coach Murray is telling him. Poor Ottawa fans, at least you beat the lLeafs the last 2 times...they really mean a lot...LOL!!!

Break Up Those SENS!!!

It's over...say goodbye to:

Muckler - deserves it for letting the wrong players go, and bringing hand-picked Gerber as the #1 goalie

Murray - unfortunatley for him, his skilled players Spezza and Heatley are too 1 dimensional and he will be a scape goat. But here's an idea, how about him as replacement GM?

Alfredsson - he just needs a change, and so do the fans from him as captain.

But before any of these things happen, a trade will come first. And the only choice for Muckler is to get Forsberg, and get rid of Spezza. Heatley can go too, but Spezza is the main one. His arrogance as if he is a 10 year superstar is a problem.

....It's fun bashing the Sens! All the Sens fans are probably calling into talk shows bashing the Leafs as if it were Toronto's doing....That's Ottawa's prob! focus on he rest of the league and the cup. DUMMIES!

Sens collapse again...this time to Atlanta

Slava Kozlov's hat trick helped the Atlanta Thrashers beat Ottawa 5-4 on Wednesday night, and hand the Senators their first five-game losing streak in 10 years. The Senators blew 3-1 and 4-2 advantages. It was the third straight game that Ottawa blew a lead. The Senators led 2-0 in a 3-2 loss to Carolina on Saturday night and couldn't hold a 3-0 lead in a 4-3 loss to Washington in overtime on Monday night.FULL STORY...

Nylander, Rangers win in shootout
Michael Nylander scored the only goal in the shootout to lead the New York Rangers to a 4-3 victory over Florida on Wednesday night.

Lecavalier pots OT winner for Lightning
Vincent Lecavalier's goal 2:41 into overtime gave the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Leafs keep on rolling, Sens collapse from 3-0 lead, and Kovalchuk scores 3!

Leafs 4 - Flyers 1
Caps 4 - Sens 3
Thrasher 5 - Bruins 3

Form previous post, looks like the Sens might need to make a move to shake things up with all the GMs meeting this week. Flyers and Sens...I wouldn't count it out.

Peter Forsberg Trade Rumors and Why the Sens will not win the cup!

With the Flyers in a state of turmoil, and in need for puck moving defencemen, the Flyers might be ina situation to move Forsberg, since he is to become a free agent next season anyways. The Flyers have young centres in Carte and Richards, thus making the move more likely. I think both Gagne and Forsberg will move, and Hatcher closer to the deadline. Here's a look at teams the Flyers can move Forsberg to:

Calgary - They are another team that is close to going in the wrong direction. if they want ssalvage the season and try and make one last run with Iginla, then the Flames need to go after Forsberg and have Iginla and Tanguay play with him. However, this would reuqire Hamrlik to go the other way along with a young forward like Lombardi, and maybe a pick as well.

Ottawa - Like Calgary, a predicted cup favourite is off to a below average start. Muckler must be feeling the pressure. 2 years ago, they put the blame on Hossa and Bonk, players identified as to soft, or without "canadian grit." So he brought in Heatley. have they won the cup? No! In fact, Heatley is highly dependant on Spezza, and he seems to be moody and selfish in thinking offence before defence only. Hossa on the other habd is flourishing and can be considered as a top 5 player. In fact, Hossa is showing a lot more of that "grit" Muckler complained about. Last year it was Alfredsson who blew the play, and they let Chara and Havlat go instead. Alfie is a bit quiet this year, and sorry Sens fans, but to be honest, Ottawa seems to pnly play their best hockey in the regular season against the Leafs. They put so much effort against them during the regular season - only if they could reproduce that in the playoffs against the leafs, and other teams.
So, Forsberg to Ottawa, one last chance for the Muckler regime. it ill probably cost them Meszaros (D), Shaefer (LW), prospect Kaigarodov, and a pick. No one hass ever questioned Forsberg's "grit", so maybe this is what the Sens captain needs - adding grit from fellow countryman might be what the doctor ordered for Ottawa's beloved Alfie!

P.S. This will probably be the only way for Alfie to have is chance to redeem all tehse years in Ottawa. If not, Say good by to this core. Muckler says he's been re-tooling the Team to be more suited for the cup run, but the real core should have been around Hoss, Chara, and Redden

News and Notes

Phoenix Coyotes forward Mike Comrie has suffered a fractured foot and will be out of the lineup for four weeks. Comrie will have surgery performed today to repair the fracture. Comrie injured his foot in the last shift of the game against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday when he was hit by a slapshot. Comrie leads all Coyotes players in scoring with four goals and seven assists in 13 games.FULL STORY...


Maple Leafs' Kubina to return Thursday
Pavel Kubina's life is about to change and it has nothing to do with his rapid recovery from a knee injury.

Afinogenov sidelined with upper body injury
The Buffalo Sabres will probably have to play a few more games without their leading scorer.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Bolting Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Jay Feaster is prepared to make big changes to the team, and it's not to the coaching staff.
Quoted in the Tampa Tribune, Feaster says "I'm not concerned about the job the coaches are doing. I just think, and it's disgusting in this business, that it's a knee-jerk reaction, it's the easiest thing to do when it's not going well is to identify the one guy instead of the 20 guys who play. I don't think a coach becomes stupid overnight."
And Feaster delivered a message to any players who may have turned a deaf ear to the coaching staff.
"Then we ought to get the deaf and dumb out," Feaster said. "Honestly, if that's the case then I wish they would identify themselves to me and let me move them on because I would rather see them gone then a hell of a good coach."
"If we don't get things going the way we want them to, then there will have to be changes," he said. "It's because of our position under the salary cap, we are not in a position to go out and say, 'Here is a draft pick,' and get the answers that we think we need. We don't have the room to assimilate it under the cap. So, as a result, it's going to mean salary going out. And it isn't the guy making $500,000 or the guy making $450,000, that doesn't give us enough leeway to do things, either."

Rumors....Morrison to Ottawa

The Senators are interested in getting center Brendan Morrison from the Canucks if money issues can be worked out.
According to the Ottawa Sun, a source says that Canucks general manager Dave Nonis would like to move Morrison and his $3.2 million salary even if it's just to get some cap relief.
Non is will likely deny that he is trying to move Morrison, but the Canucks are right up against the league's $44-million ceiling with a payroll of $43.124 million and that's left Nonis handcuffed if the club runs into injury problems.
Though Nonis has denied holding trade talks with Senators GM John Muckler, sources insist the Canucks called last week to check on the availability of either defencemen Anton Volchenkov or Christoph Schubert.

Leafs surprising many so far...Beat Sabres....Can they keep it

It's one month into the NHL season and Paul Maurice's Toronto Maple Leafs are showing an appealing trait that may prove valuable as they try to grind out a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They play their best hockey just when it seems the most unlikely.FULL STORY...
Highlights: TOR 4, BUF 1
Maple Leafs Report