96warrior

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242906&lid...=headlines_main The Washington Capitals have re-signed forward Sergei Fedorov to a one-year $4 million contract. The 17-year NHL veteran, a trade deadline acquisition from the Columbus Blue Jackets, was a key member of the Capitals improbable run to the playoffs last season. In the final 18 regular season games, Fedorov contributed two goals and 11 assists and chipped in with five points in Washington's seven-game, first-round loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The 1993-94 Hart Trophy winner is the highest scoring Russian-born player in NHL history, amassing 472 goals and 674 assists in 1196 career NHL games.

I do believe that all anger and disappointment should be directed toward the MLIVE reporter. I was just the messenger and do not feel I am necessarily worthy of "a virtual ass-kicking". Just saying????

I now think that MLIVE made a mistake. I read the full article and it says at the bottom that the schedule will be released Wednesday. Today is Thursday. I now think it's being released next Wednesday.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...ssa_to_sho.html Talk about the rich getting richer. This is a stunning move. Wings general manager Ken Holland said he made Hossa's agent, Ritch Winter, an offer of a long-term deal on Tuesday but the Wings couldn't compete with some of the more lucrative long-term offers he was getting. Holland was filling his gas tank at a Mobil station this morning when he got a call from Winter telling him Hossa would be interested in a one-year deal because he thought Detroit gave him his best chance to win the Stanley Cup. "I was caught way off-guard,'' Holland said. "Shocked, was my initial reaction.'' Hossa said it boiled down to a choice of Pittsburgh (long-term) or Detroit (one year). "It wasn't an easy decision to make,'' Hossa said. "In Pittsburgh, I had a great time. With Detroit, I feel I have a little better chance to win the Cup. ... I feel the team in Detroit is something special.'' Credit Wings forward Tomas Kopecky with an assist in the signing. He's close with Hossa, a fellow Slovak, and filled him in on what it's like to play for the Wings. Hossa obviously was very impressed. Said Holland: "I was looking to do something. I never envisioned it would (have) this much of an impact. ... It obviously shows Marian's commitment to wanting to play with other good players. He's shown incredible sacrifice. Marian's really made this day happen.'' Before Hossa agreed to the deal, Holland had coach Mike Babcock call him and explain what his role on a team loaded with talent would be. Hossa obviously liked whay he heard. He said he especially likes the Wings' puck-moving defense. Amazingly, he turned down more lucrative long-term offers. Edmonton reportedly offered him $9 million a season. The Wings couldn't afford to sign him to a real lucrative long-term deal now because they won't have the cap space in 2009-10 with Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, among others, up for new deals. Now Holland can talk to Zetterberg and Franzen and possible persuade them to take less so that the team will have room to re-sign Hossa next season. "The hope is that this is one year of many years,'' Holland said. "It gives me an opportunity to sit down with some key players and hopefully find a way to keep everyone together.Hopefully the salary cap will grow and we can find a way.'' The Red Wings' payroll is at about $52.6 million. The cap is $56.7 million. They still need to sign Valtteri Filppula, Chris Chelios and Kyle Quincey. Two other unsigned players, Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Ericsson, won't count against the cap if they're assigned to Grand Rapids, as expected.

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...ortsHockey/home Hossa gambles on a different type of greed July 2, 2008 at 3:48 PM EDT A day after three dozen or so of his peers went chasing after the most dollars they could possibly grab, Marian Hossa left tens of millions on the table Tuesday to sign a modest one-year, $7.4 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings. Hossa was being greedy all right — but not in the conventional sense of the term. At the age of 29 and 10 years into his NHL career, Hossa was greedy for a Stanley Cup — and figured his best chance to win one was to go to the defending champions. Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em — and Hossa had a front-row seat for the Red Wings' celebration. That happened on a steamy night in Pittsburgh in early June. Hossa was playing for the opposition, the Penguins, and they pushed the Red Wings to six games, before finally losing. Hossa actually had one last gasp chance to push the game into overtime, but just missed as time ran off the clock. Hossa was duly impressed with what he saw — and the feeling on the Red Wings' side was mutual. Hossa finished the playoffs third in playoff scoring with 26 points in 20 games, one behind the co-leaders, Sidney Crosby and Henrik Zetterberg, and he was the most productive Penguins forward in the final. Pittsburgh offered a reasonable chance of winning again — he gave that option some consideration. Other teams, notably the Edmonton Oilers, were prepared to offer significantly higher dollars and term, provided he was willing to sign on the dotted line for the long term. But while Edmonton's future looks bright, the Red Wings looked like the best option to win in the present. Hossa was the second player in as many days to come to terms with Detroit for less money that he could have gotten elsewhere. The Red Wings also re-signed defenceman Brad Stuart to a four-year, $15 million contract. Stuart's deal will average $3.75 million per season, or the same annual compensation as Mike Commodore received from the Columbus Blue Jackets on a five-year deal. Stuart or Commodore? It isn't even close in terms of their respective ability levels. One could make a case that Stuart, at this stage of his career, is a more productive all-around player than Wade Redden, who got $39 million over six years from the New York Rangers. But that, in a nutshell, is the dilemma facing all the teams that want to unseat Detroit — good players gravitate towards winning organizations, especially when they're far-enough along their career paths that a million or more here or there isn't going to demonstrably affect their already healthy, head quality of life. The risk for Hossa, who has been a remarkably durable player over the years, is that his good health continues. Hossa had major knee surgery in his final year of junior, but has been a picture of health ever since — missing just 22 games in eight years, 10 of them last year, split between the Penguins and the Atlanta Thrashers. If Hossa blows out his knee again, then the decision to leave all that guaranteed money on the table may not seem like such a good idea. But for Hossa, the possible reward — a Stanley Cup — was worth it in the end. It has been a decade since any NHL team won back-to-back championships. The last to do so was Detroit in 1997 and 1998. Accordingly, the Red Wings understand better than most the pitfalls that await a team the year after a Stanley Cup victory — the short summer, the need for motivation, the focus that every opponent has for the defending champions. It is one reason why Holland, with no discernible holes in his team, wanted to make a couple of changes anyway — to ensure that the hunger is present again, when the team opens training camp in September. Some of that will come from youngsters, who didn't play much last season, but figure to have greater roles next year. Some will come from Hossa, who demonstrated how much he wanted to be part of their mix. The Hossa camp understood Detroit's payroll complications. There were no salary-cap issues for the coming season. However, two years from now, or the 2009-10 season, both Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, two mainstays of their Stanley Cup run, will be unrestricted free agents. The Red Wings goal is to get one and maybe both under contract for that year, as soon as possible. It could mean Hossa's stay in the organization will be just one year. Or alternatively, if Hossa proves to be a good fit, they may juggle salary elsewhere in their payroll to accommodate a possible return. "Success is about sacrifice — sacrificing ice time, sacrificing personal statistics, sacrificing some money," said Holland. "Success doesn't come easily. Marian, obviously, wants to come here because he thinks we give him the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. He's showing incredible sacrifice — and it goes to his determination and character and how important winning is to him, and playing with other good players. "When you see everything that happened in our league, with the term and the security and then you've got a premier power forward like Marian making this marriage happen by agreeing to a one-year contract." Holland said it back in May — that players come to Detroit for the hockey; they don't have a lot else to sell. For some — often for the good ones - the hockey turns out to be enough.

6 years/$6.5 million per year.

Vancouver: Sundin, the Canucks and Pile of Money… by Alanah on 07/01/08 at 02:30 PM Comments (0) From the wild world of hockey rumors, Bruce Garrioch reports: The Vancouver Canucks are after Mats Sundin. League sources told Sun Media the Canucks have offered the Toronto captain a two-year, $20 million deal. Sundin hasn’t decided on his future, but he’s contemplating it. Fan590’s Howard Berger just mentioned the same thing. (thanks to readers for sending this one in!) Insanity.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/ The Bertuzzi factor Posted byhtt George James Malik June 27, 2008 17:56PM The Anaheim Ducks, facing a salary cap crunch as Scott Niedermayer's return and Corey Perry's status as a restricted free agent leaves Brian Burke facing the potential of another RFA offer sheet to match after July 1st, have decided to alleviate their cap problems by waiving Todd Bertuzzi for the purpose of buying him out. The Detroit News's Ted Kulfan is thinking the same thing I am in this regard: June 27, Detroit News: Did you notice where Todd Bertuzzi became available today? The Anaheim Ducks are waiving Big Bert after a sub-par season. Bertuzzi signed there for two years and $8 million total, but the Ducks have seen enough. Bertuzzi, 33, only scored 13 goals and hasn't been the same player since the ugly incident before the lockout when he attacked Steve Moore. But the Wings did like certain things about Bertuzzi (size, soft hands, seemed to blend in with his teammates) when he was here two seasons ago. Would they be interested again, at the right price? Don't rule it out. If Bertuzzi was willing to take the vast majority of his paycheque as the $2.6 million buyout he'll receive from the Ducks, I'd argue that Ken Holland might see a diminished Bertuzzi as a solid replacement for Dallas Drake with a bit more offensive upside. Bertuzzi could provide a blend of physicality and forechecking presence, and while he's a 20-goal, 40-point-scorer at best right now, the Wings liked what Bertuzzi could bring, even as an injury-prone player past his prime, and Bertuzzi liked both Detroit's proximity to his home outside Kitchener and the fact that the organization asked the media to respect his boundaries.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/ Holland 'shoulders' the burden of Stuart negotiations; Lilja likely to re-sign, but Holland may wait to determine Osgood's 'back-up' plan Posted by George James Malik June 23, 2008 23:34PM According to the Detroit News's Ted Kulfan, Red Wings GM Ken Holland won't have a difficult time re-signing Andreas Lilja... June 23, Detroit News: Lilja, who took Chris Chelios' place in the lineup in the Stanley Cup Finals, can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. He said at the end of the season he wanted to return to Detroit. Wings general manager Ken Holland said he and Lilja are close to an agreement. "We may have something done by the end of the week," Holland said. "We weren't far apart late in the season. I'm optimistic we'll get something done." But the news on unrestricted free agent-to-be Brad Stuart is bad on two fronts; first, his agent is Pat "Bagdhad Bob" Brisson, who many Red Wings fans will remember as the man who guided Sergei Fedorov through an incredibly bitter divorce with Detroit in 2003, and second, Stuart's got some shoulder issues: The Wings are still trying to work out a deal with defenseman Brad Stuart, also a potential unrestricted free agent. Holland met with Stuart's agent, Pat Brisson, during the NHL draft last weekend. Stuart's shoulder has been bothering him recently, and he is scheduled for tests Wednesday. If Stuart's shoulder problems require surgery, four or five months of recovery would mean a November or December return with whoever signs him. A player having "tests" for shoulder issues in late June, that's bad, bad, bad, bad news, and yes, the repetition is necessary. Holland isn't amused: June 24, Detroit News: "It's something that came out of the blue," Holland said. ... The Wings would like to sign Stuart for close to the $3 million per season Kronwall is earning. But reports from the draft indicated the Kings want to bring back Stuart, who was also a good fit with them, providing a positive veteran influence on a young team, and probably would be willing to match the $3.5 million he earned last season. "We'll keep talking," Holland said. "It's part of the process." In his Tuesday morning article, Kulfan says that Lilja will probably sign a one or two-year deal before the unrestricted free agent period starts, but that's not the only item on Holland's agenda: Holland said he'll meet with Chelios again this week. Chelios, 46, said the two sides have the framework for a one-year contract worked out, but Holland said he wants to make sure Chelios is comfortable with a reduced role With defenseman Derek Meech, Kyle Quincey and Jonathan Ericsson ready to play in the NHL, the Wings could have 10 defensemen in camp if Stuart, Lilja and Chelios return. "If one of the veterans don't return, then we have to decide do we replace them or go with the young kids," Holland said. "We have depth at the position." Holland added the Wings will sign a goalie after July 1. Whether he will back up Chris Osgood or play in Grand Rapids (with Jimmy Howard backing up Osgood) will be determined during free agency when the list of available goalies becomes clearer. Holland also will likely learn whether Dallas Drake is retiring, as expected. That's a new "take," and probably a wise one. Goalies go fast on July 1st, but they're also paid ridiculous salaries (see: Ottawa paying $3.7 million a season for Martin Gerber in 2006, Boston agreeing to take on Manny Fernandez at $4.5 million a season from Minnesota in 2007), so waiting to see whether Alex Auld or Johan Holmqvist are willing to take less than the Wings' starter will be making (Osgood will earn $1.7 million next season) to back Ozzie up makes sense. As far as Stuart's concerned? The one problem is that he's gotten his Cup ring, and that might mean that his priorities shift back to his California-based family, even if that means playing with a team that's a few years away from contending again.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/ Downey gets the Cup on Sunday Posted by George James Malik June 19, 2008 06:36AM According to the Orangeville Citizen's Dan Pelton, Red Wings forward Aaron Downey will bring the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Shelburne, ON this upcoming Sunday: June 19, Orangeville Citizen: Mr. Downey says it's "something I dreamed of doing since I was a kid." There are a number of festivities surrounding the visit of Lord Stanley's mug. At 12:30 p.m., there will be a parade starting from the Shelburne Arena. The parade will include, and also honour, the Shelburne novice league champions, the Honeywood novice rep Ontario champions, the Honeywood girls hockey club, the Shelburne Veterans junior lacrosse team, and figure skaters from the Honeywood and Shelburne communities. The official ceremonies take place at Honeywood Arena at 3 p.m., followed by photo opportunities with Mr. Downey and the cup. Finally, from 3:30 p.m. through to 2 a.m. there will be food, live entertainment and a licensed beverage room at the arena, with all proceeds going to support minor hockey in Honeywood and Shelburne. Mr. Downey will be joined by his teammate, defenceman Kyle Quincey, who was born in Dufferin County but spent the majority of his minor hockey days in Kitchener. For all the local kids who have starry eyes aimed at the NHL, Mr. Downey implies that, first and foremost, they must have the desire to go all the way. He said the Red Wings "play for the love of game. Whether it's against the Columbus Blue Jackets or the San Jose Sharks, they approach every game the same way. If you want to play in the NHL, you have to dream at it, work hard at it, and do it."

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/ Stanley's back in town Posted by George James Malik June 18, 2008 18:19PM Categories: 2008 Stanley Cup Championship The Stanley Cup is back in Detroit, and the Free Press's Steve Neavling says that Stanley spent Wednesday morning brightening up the Macomb County Commissioners' finance meeting: June 18, Detroit Free Press: [C]ommissioners got a reprieve from crunching numbers at their finance committee meeting this morning when the vice president of the Detroit Red Wings presented the shiny Stanley Cup. Commissioners, employees and their families lined up outside a conference room in the County Administration Building in Mt. Clemens for photos with the Stanley Cup, which the Red Wings won this month. "It was really special," said Commissioner Pete Lund, R-Shelby Township, who posed for a photo of the Stanley Cup with his two daughters, ages 9 and 12. "It was a great memory for me and will be for my kids for a long time to come." Christopher Ilitch, vice president of the Red Wings, unveiled the Stanley Cup to officials and employees. Stanley's probably headed to the NHL Entry Draft this weekend, but it's highly likely that he'll spend a few days in Detroit next week before making his round-the-world sojourn during July and August.

The NHL Channel is doing a red carpet show with interviews with players as they arrive from 6-7.

I work downtown in a building across from Hart Plaza. I was fortunate enough to see the parade from a private balcony one floor up from Jefferson. There was probably a group of 15-25 of us. As the players drove by, we screamed and most looked up and aknowledged us. I believe only Ozzie (and Stevie) did not. Ozzie just couldn't hear over the chants. My sister, 40#1fan, and I both had on our red Mule t-shirts from this site. As Franzen drove by, we screamed and he looked up and we both pointed to our shirts. He pointed at us and started waving.

I was at the end of the parade on Jefferson (at Shelby) and there was a traffic jam and all the vehicles were stopped. He got up on the roof of the vehicle and stood -- even when the parade started again. Scary.

Parade news: Webcasts galore! Posted by George James Malik June 06, 2008 06:09AM Good news if you're a Red Wings fan who will either be at work or are a Red Wings fan who's an out-of-town resident: MyFoxDetroit (WJBK) will webcast its Red Wings Stanley Cup parade coverage starting at 11 AM; WXYZ will webcast its Red Wings Stanley Cup parade coverage starting at 10 AM; ClickonDetroit will webcast its Red Wings Stanley Cup parade coverage starting at 9 AM, and they'll air a Red Wings special at 8 PM; For those of you who get Fox Sports Detroit, in and out of town, they're covering the parade from 9 AM to 2:30 PM, will air a special episode of Red Wings Weekly at 10:30 PM on Friday and 11:30 AM on Saturday, and they'll re-play their parade coverage from 2-5 PM on Saturday. And, for the audiophiles, or the broadband impaired, both WDFN and WXYT will both webcast their parade coverage, and are hosting parties for those of you who will be in town. It's highly likely that WWJ and WJR will cover the parade in part.

Parade news: Webcasts galore! Posted by George James Malik June 06, 2008 06:09AM Good news if you're a Red Wings fan who will either be at work or are a Red Wings fan who's an out-of-town resident: MyFoxDetroit (WJBK) will webcast its Red Wings Stanley Cup parade coverage starting at 11 AM; WXYZ will webcast its Red Wings Stanley Cup parade coverage starting at 10 AM; ClickonDetroit will webcast its Red Wings Stanley Cup parade coverage starting at 9 AM, and they'll air a Red Wings special at 8 PM; For those of you who get Fox Sports Detroit, in and out of town, they're covering the parade from 9 AM to 2:30 PM, will air a special episode of Red Wings Weekly at 10:30 PM on Friday and 11:30 AM on Saturday, and they'll re-play their parade coverage from 2-5 PM on Saturday. And, for the audiophiles, or the broadband impaired, both WDFN and WXYT will both webcast their parade coverage, and are hosting parties for those of you who will be in town. It's highly likely that WWJ and WJR will cover the parade in part.

I work across from Hart Plaza. I think most of the parking structures attached to office buildings are closed to daily parkers today. I do note the lots on Larned are opened and have plenty of spots available. I would say there are a dozen people at Hart Plaza.

I think it is usually 1-2 days after the parade.

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and please update us on your recovery.

For those with the NHL channel, NHL on the Fly is being re-shown at 10:00 p.m. and and 1:00 a.m. It's also being reshown tomorrow morning. "Players and coaches meet with the media."

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ UPDATE: Franzen took a few shifts on a five-on-five battle drill with the second line (subbing for Hudler or Cleary alternately). He didn't make contact with anyone, but participating in that drill is a good sign. Battle drills are the final hurdle before players are green-lighted for game action. To be clear, Franzen just worked in on the second line. But I'd say that his participation in these drills makes him a true game-time decision for tomorrow. --- Johan Franzen is on the ice with the Red Wings as they warm up for their practice. Has this story taken on an unreal life or what. It looks like they're not planning on Franzen playing in Game 1. He's skating with the spare forwards. Of course, that could change tomorrow, but for now, he's not in the plans. Also of note is that Chris Chelios looks to be out of the lineup for Game 1 as he was for Game 6 of the Western Conference final. That means that Andreas Lilja will play his second straight game. Practice lines ... Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom Hudler-Filppula-Cleary Drake-Draper-Samuelsson Maltby-Helm-McCarty Franzen-Hartigan-Downey (spare parts) Lidstrom-Rafalski Kronwall-Stuart Lebda-Lilja Meech-Chelios (spare parts)

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ Johan Franzen will practice with the Red Wings tomorrow. The forward, who has been sidelined by headaches, hasn't played since Game 1 of the Western Conference final. Franzen did not speak with the media today. He likely will not play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final. "He's going to be available, I don't know at what point," said coach Mike Babcock. "We're real optimistic. Doctors make those decisions. I don't think he's going to play in Game 1. But anytime after that (he might play)." "He's ready," said Babcock. "There's no coaching perspective in this. It's all doctors. He's tipping pucks in the back of the net. He's flying around at 100 miles an hour. ... He's ready to go. He's just got to get the OK."

Not happening this year. It's being worked on and unavailable until August.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...anzen_back.html Red Wings expect Franzen back in playoffs by Ansar Khan Wednesday May 14, 2008, 4:50 AM DALLAS — The Detroit Red Wings, in a testament to their depth, have done fine the last two games without the NHL's leading playoff goal-scorer. But they are eventually going to need Johan Franzen, and general manager Ken Holland is optimistic that the power forward will return at some point in the playoffs. Holland said tests on Monday revealed nothing significant, certainly nothing bad. Franzen has headaches and is suffering from post-concussion syndrome, but the club has not labeled it a concussion, for the record. He is out for tonight's Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against Dallas and is listed as day-to-day. Holland didn't rule out the possibility of Franzen returning later in the series, if it is extended to Game 5 or beyond. "We think there's a chance he'll be ready to play some point in time (in this year's playoffs)," Holland said. "He's not healthy enough right now to work out. When the headaches go away they'll look at him again. Right now we're kind of in a holding pattern." The problem started sometime during the last round against Colorado -- nobody is sure exactly how or when. Franzen was experiencing these symptoms in Game 4 -- he thought it was because of the high altitude in Denver -- but it didn't prevent him from scoring three goals on that night or from scoring again in Game 1 vs. Dallas. "He had headaches every day for 7 to 10 days and you start to say something's not normal," Holland said. "Once the headaches go away, can he immediately come back? Does he have to wait a period of time? Let's let the headaches stop, then the doctors can start to make a determination if he's ready to come back." Franzen still leads the NHL with 12 playoff goals. The Red Wings have compensated, in part, because they have a league-high seven players with 10 or more points. "It shows we have a lot of depth," Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg said. "We've got four lines that really can play in all situations. And the longer the game goes, the more advantage it is for us."

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/ Franzen out for Game 4, tests show "nothing bad'' by Ansar Khan Tuesday May 13, 2008, 3:53 PM Update from Tuesday's practice: Wings general manager Ken Holland said tests on Johan Franzen revealed "nothing significant'' and nothing bad. He still has headaches and concussion-like symptoms -- the club still is not officically calling it a concussion -- and will not play in Game 4 at Dallas Wednesday. Holland said there's still a chance Franzen will play in this series, if it gets extended. He is not allowed to do any physical activity for now.