It began with a whimper, but how will it end? That’s the question I find myself asking, as the second anniversary of Peter Laviolette’s hiring passes. We’re at the halfway point for the tenure of most NHL head coaches, so while there’s no question Lavy’s got some good things on his ledger, it’s a given that going forward, we’re simply going to experience the back end of his time in Philadelphia. It was a big step for the organization to bring in the Massachusetts native, then just two days from his 45th birthday. He was an American — only the second …
NHL to unveil realignment plan
Courtesy of NHL.com PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The NHL’s Board of Governors on Monday approved a radical realignment plan, according to multiple reports. The plan reportedly eliminates the current two-conference, six-division setup in favor of a configuration that features four conferences based on geography. Two conferences will have eight teams and the other two conferences will have seven teams, according to the report. The vote, which required a two-thirds majority of the League’s 30 governors, passed on the first of two days of meetings here at The Inn at Spanish Bay. The League’s new structure will go into effect starting …
Flight Plan Week of 10.23.2011
The Philadelphia Flyers started out of the gate as one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League, winning four of their first five games and getting points in all five of them. Since then, they have suffered two embarrassing (though in different ways) back-to-back losses on home ice at the hands of the Washington Capitals and the St. Louis Blues. To lose to the Capitals by a score of 5-2 when they’re one of the hotter teams in the NHL at the beginning of the season, and just about every bounce goes the way of the opposition, well …
Ask the Ref, 2011 edition
You may recall, late last season, we picked up on an occasional series that Canada’s TSN ran featuring recently-retired ref Kerry Fraser fielding questions from the public and offering his take on various issues. It’s our pleasure to bring it back for another season. ********************************************************************** Hi Kerry, On two occasions this past weekend, I saw two different players drop the gloves, throw some punches and on one occasion (Malkin) lose his jersey in the process. In both of these cases, the players were assessed roughing penalties. What weighs in the ref’s decision to not call a fighting major or to …
Sestito suspended four games
The National Hockey League once again made its punitive presence known to the Philadelphia Flyers, as forward Tom Sestito has been told to sit out for the remainder of the preseason (two games) and two additional regular-season games. It was not an unexpected move, as the fiery bottom-six winger, who was fighting for a roster spot (somewhat literally) even posted a message on his Twitter account earlier in the day saying he was fortunate to not have the book thrown at him as a repeat offender. Sestito, who has apparently been waived by the Flyers on Wednesday, was banned due …
NHL comes down hard on Shelley
While it wasn’t the first test for new NHL discipline czar/vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan, it was the one where he showed his mettle. On Thursday evening, Philadelphia Flyers forward Jody Shelley was suspended for the remainder of the preseason and the first five games of the regular season for his questionable hit on Toronto’s Derek Boyce during the second period of Wednesday’s 4-2 preseason loss. It was a ruling based on the new protocols surrounding Rule 48, which aims to penalize the severity of the impact of boarding infractions, rather than the bodily location of the hit. Shelley …
Who’s Zoomin’ Who?
While us penguins continue to wilt in the usual Northeastern Summer heat, pining for the days when a cool iceberg awaits our collectively scorched behinds, thoughts about the upcoming (and too far off) season still seep their way into our Sun-addled brains. This is the fourth in a five-part series which intends to examine the ways the Flyers front office, though publicly professing to want to win the Cup by any means necessary, just ends up conducting business as usual year in and year out. Once upon a time, Philly scribes new to this game of hockey spun wonderful tales of general manager …
Winnipeg officially returns to the NHL
It’s official. After a 15-year absence, Winnipeg is back in the good graces of the National Hockey League. For the first time since the Hartford Whalers moved to Carolina in 1997 to become the Hurricanes, the league has approved a relocation. Courtsey of NHL.com The League’s Board of Governors gave its stamp of approval for the sale and relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to the group from Winnipeg at its meeting in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday. True North Sports and Entertainment purchased the club from the Atlanta Spirit group for a reported $170 million and paid the NHL a …
Campbell out, Shanahan in as NHL disciplinarian
Colin Campbell will step down from his role as the National Hockey League’s disciplinarian, commissioner Gary Bettman announced on Wednesday during a press conference in Vancouver prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Campbell, who has served as the league’s discipline czar since July 1998, will no longer hold that position, but he will not be giving up his role as league vice president and director of hockey operations. The 58-year-old played 12 seasons in the WHA and NHL as a defenseman, making the Stanley Cup Finals with the Canucks in 1982. He later served as head coach of the …
NHL coming back to Winnipeg
Courtesy of the Sports Network Winnipeg is again getting an NHL team as the Atlanta Thrashers are on their way to Manitoba for the 2011-12 season. True North Sports and Entertainment held a press conference on Tuesday to announce that the Thrashers, who began play in Atlanta in 1999, are heading to the city that hosted the Jets until their departure to Phoenix in 1996. “I would like to welcome the NHL back to Winnipeg,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who got a round of applause after the announcement. “As is obvious by the fact that we are here today, …