French Collection

In defence of Sam Bennett, he was covering up a shoulder injury that required surgery at the end of the Flames' camp. Every athlete should be able to do at least one pull up. Excited to see how Jack stacks up vs the field.

He's the reason I'm a Sabres fan. I am French and my family were all Habs fans and I was along for the ride until I was old enough to have my own team. I saw him and his linemates play and was hooked. Nobody goes end to end anymore, he did it multiple times per game. His talent level was amazing. Today's game is different, the coaches would not allow that freewheeling game. The disparity of talent is not as wide either so your top players don't face as many pilons, like Brian Glennie etc.... Swashbucklers on ice!

Wonder if Dale Hawerchuk is on the radar for Rochester? He's had some success with the Barrie Colts of the OHL for a few years now. He may stay there a few more years because his son is on the team.

He wants the big bucks, he plays out the season and signs as a UFA. Very risky acquisition.

The vibe I got was he wasn't leaving, he and Holland are obviously close.

I watched the trailer on TSN.ca, we may get some insight into his decision. The interview with Holland is separate.

Cherry is basing his theory on his 1 and only coaching job after he was fired. The Rockies were not in a rebuild as he describes it, they were an expansion team in perennial tire fire mode. Maybe he wasn't as good a coach as he thought he was.

I also believe we are a frontrunner but do not want to have my heart set on Babcock in case we are not successful. I had high hopes when Bowman joined the Sabres so I've seen first hand how the coach alone does not guarantee anything. Lots of people say he is into win now mode but he is still young and could help a rebuild. There would be satisfaction in taking a last place club to the playoffs and then growing into a contender within a few years. Granted, we may not make the playoffs, but that would be their goal if he is hired. It would make this team more desirable for free agents and for players to waive their no movement clauses.

Just sayin' it's a battle that starts out fairly, played out dozens of times a game, that can give you possession of the puck. It's not like the jump ball in basketball. When Bergeron lines up against a guy 10-15 percentage points below him, there is a distinct advantage. Same as Gerbe going into the corner vs Corey Perry. There are constant matchups that coaches try to take advantage of and the face off is an easy one to use. The other skill that is getting more recognition is the takeaway, which Datsyuk is a master at. Seems like Stone is good at this as well.

Face offs are an important part of the game, they lead to possession. I'm not a fancy stat guy but you need to win the majority of the battles to have the puck more often.. I agree that it is a skill that can be taught and these young guys will need training and possibly a mentor. Bring back Konopka. LOL

I don't want Sam and Jack to be slaughtered but it is part of the learning process to go up against Toews, Kopitar and such and see what they do and how they need to counter these guys.

Not all players respond to the call for this tournament. Nagging injuries, family or other commitments, contract status, disinterest, multiple years of deep playoff runs and international travel may be factors. I don't know about the USA teams but Canada usually fields a team of young stars wanting to develop and show the national program they are commited. By the way, almost half of the Canadian Olympic team is still in the playoffs, so I wouldn't call the team stacked. It just speaks of the depth of the program. Toews, Sharp, Keith, Getzlaf, Perry, Price, Subban, Nash and Stamkos (had he been healthy) plus Seabrook from the 2010 team.

I would love to see Babcock land here but as coach and a "team" player. Today's NHL is too complex for one guy to have too many roles. Scotty Bowman had won 4 consecutive Cups when he landed here. He may have had more success if he was only the coach.

Pronovost is the great uncle of Wings prospect Anthony Mantha.

I hope one of the NYI and Blues do not advance into the second round. Ideally the Isles lose and Blues advance giving us a better pick and the Jets a later one. Both winning hurts our draft and both losing helps the Jets.

Friedman reported on CBC that Anaheim has beaten the Flames 20 straight times.

Chiarelli says he's not afraid to trade young guns, see Kessel and Seguin. Complete 180 from MacT who told the young core they were all safe.

I'll stay up to watch McDavid but I like Eich.

Yeah, Sharks peak was '08-'11. Their D and goaltending are not great. No trade clauses have hurt the rebuild on the fly and fractured the management and player relationships. McLellan would be revitalized on a young, hungry club.

I think McLellan may be a good fit. Wasn't afraid to play young guys like Hertl, Karlsson etc... We need a coach who embraces the challenge of a youthful squad and can help them develop and gel as a team. A junior or college guy could relate to them but lacks NHL experience. McLellan would have credibility and could bring in a varied group of assistants. I hope he's on Tim's radar.

Take our PR to the next level.....John Torterella. He and TM could hold 17 second press conferences.

Schoenfeld was named captain a couple of years after getting drafted. I believe Gare wore the C a few years later. Not sure why Schoney lost it. He was a heart and soul player. Was the same way as a coach, wanting to scrap with other coaches and calling referee Koharski a fat pig.

Leafs should take Marner, pair him with Nylander. Smurf line.

Arizona just signed Christian Dvorak, another London Knight forward who shared PP time with Marner and Domi. They've been watching this team a lot so they could be enamoured with Marner.

MacTavish commented after the lottery that you have to outscore your opponent to win games. Back to the Oilers of old, fire wagon hockey! Not working for them now, but add McDavid and it may work. Win a Cup and then the copycats come out of the woodwork and we're back to 3.14 goals against average winning the Vezina. Doubt it but never say never.