The Latest NHL Buzz
Sunday Janaury 17, 2010 Trade talks are heating up with the trade deadline 6 weeks away but with some many teams still in the playoff mix, it’s unlikely many deals will be struck before the Olympic trade freeze (February 12 – February 28th) as teams are leery to make a run at veterans who are participating in the Olympics. In the Eastern Conference the only team in sell mode at this point is the Carolina Hurricanes. Even the Toronto Maple Leafs are only 9 points out of the playoffs. In the Western Conference, Edmonton is clearly in sell mode while the Blues and Blue Jackets are expected to begin shopping a number of veterans in the next couple weeks. The
Penguins focused on 3 year extension with Sergei Gonchar
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero and J.P. Barry, the agent for Sergei Gonchar held their first set of substantive talks Tuesday afternoon in Calgary. Prior to breaking off talks in September, both sides agreed to pick up talks after the NHL GM meetings in December as the Penguins would have a general idea of the salary cap. The meeting lasted over 90 minutes and the two sides will meet again in Pittsburgh during the weekend of January 30-31. J.P. Barry is expected to attend the Penguins – Red Wings game. Penguins to propose offers of 2yrs & 3yrs?
Does Cal Clutterbuck have a bounty on Sergei Gonchar?
In Monday’s 4-3 loss, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar delivered a vicious hit (elbow to the head) on Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck that drew a five minute major interference penalty. Clutterbuck was furious after the game and claimed someone is going to hurt Gonchar before the end of the year. Clutterbuck claimed it wouldn’t be him but “someone will”. Quote from Clutterbuck —- “He better hope he retires at the end of the year, I’ll tell you that……”Somebody’s going to hurt him before the end of the year. Someone will…… It’s not going to be me, but someone will.”
Gonchar’s value to the Penguins can’t be overlooked
Defenseman Sergei Gonchar returned to the lineup Saturday night after a missing four games with a right foot injury and Gonchar made quite an impact. The 35 year old defenseman powered the Penguins to a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 2 goals and adding an assist in the Penguins first road victory since December 19th. It was Gonchar’s first two goal game of the season and might have been Gonchar’s most complete game of the season. Gonchar had 6 shots on goal along with a plus/minus rating of +3 and 5 blocked shots. “It was a pretty big effort back there from our blue line and Gonch {Sergei Gonchar} is a big part of that,” Penguins head
Friday Practice Report: Gonchar limited, won’t play @ Tampa Bay
Southpointe _ After having an off-day on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins got back to work this morning going through a 65 minute skate at the Iceoplex complex. In the midst of a four game road trip, the Penguins will have a weekend set of back-to-back games against the Tampa Bay Lightning (15-15-10) and Florida Panthers (16-18-7). *Defenseman Sergei Gonchar was limited in practice with what appears to be a lower leg injury. He was not skating well and left the ice after about 30 minutes. Gonchar took a shot off of his left foot near the end of Wednesday’s game. Gonchar’s status for tomorrow afternoon’s game is in doubt I’m told, although Gonchar will travel with the team to the
Pittsburgh Penguins All-Decade Team
The Pittsburgh Penguins franchise had many ups and downs during the decade. The decade began with a bang as hall of famer/owner Mario Lemieux made a stunning comeback in December 2000 after being retired for 3.5 years. The team would earn its 12th straight playoff appearance in 2001 but financial reasons would lead to cost cutting moves such as trading star winger Jaromir Jagr and the cost cutting moves would continue years after. From 2002-2005, the franchise had no choice but to go into full throttle rebuilding mode and the Penguins endured four straight losing seasons that included rumors of relocation but the latter part of the decade would turn glorious (2009 Stanley Cup Champions, New Arena agreement) due to
Letang, Goligoski not a sure thing to replace Gonchar’s production
The vibe around the league heading into the new year as noted by highly respected columinst Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News, is that Pittsburgh will let Sergei Gonchar walk via free agency rather than pay him $15-$20 million on a 3 or 4 year contract. However, independent sources continue to claim that any talk of Gonchar leaving is premature at this point as the first set of substantive talks with Penguins general manager Ray Shero and J.P. Barry the agent for Gonchar will not begin until another couple weeks. Pittsburgh will break off talks after the trade deadline as Pittsburgh now has a 6-7 week window to strike a deal. Meanwhile, team sources have confirmed that Gonchar is indeed
Hockey Olympics: Russia names roster; Injuries opening spot for Whitney on Team USA?
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Sergei Gonchar were named to Russia’s 2010 Hockey Olympic team on Friday for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Russia is considered a favorite to win Gold at the games. The provisional rosters of all teams in the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be announced between December 23 and January 1. The final Olympic rosters will be registered on February 15 at the directorate meeting one day prior to the beginning of the tournament. After that date, no replacements are possible. Goaltenders Ilya Bryzgalov – Phoenix Coyotes, NHL Evgeni Nabokov – San Jose Sharks, NHL Semyon Varlamov – Washington Capitals, NHL Defensemen Sergei Gonchar – Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL
Brodeur makes history as Devils shutout Penguins 4-0
Martin Brodeur broke Terry Sawchuk’s 40-year-old shutout record with his 104th career shutout Monday night as the New Jersey Devils (26-8-1) blanked the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 for their third straight win against Pittsburgh this season. While Brodeur continues to entrench himself as arguably the greatest goaltender in the history of the game, the defending champs were over-matched against New Jersey for the third time this season. It has reached the point of concern as the Devils have quickly proved they are among the league’s best teams. The Devils transition game gave Pittsburgh fits Monday night just like it did in the two previous contests. New Jersey not Pittsburgh set the tone in the game and that’s been a common scene
Salary cap to increase by $2 million?; Penguins won’t negotiate with Gonchar after trade deadline
Latest Buzz from BOG Meetings Salary Cap could increase by $1.5-$2 million NHL commissioner Gary Bettman met with general managers and owners on Tuesday at the Board of Governors meetings and projections for next years salary cap has the cap in the $56.8 – $58.5 million range . The league does not expect a decrease and early projections show the possibility of even a $1.5-$2 million increase at the max. The projections now set the stage for general managers to begin preparations for next season. The Canadian franchises are the markets that carry the salary cap. They make up for teams like Phoenix, Florida and Atlanta which don’t bring in adequate revenues. It’s astounding that the league is against relocating