All-Purpose Hockey Thread II

The Wild come back after falling behind 2-0 in the first period, scoring five unanswered goals. Brian Rolston scores on a short-handed penalty shot. Wild win, 5-2, over Vancouver.

10-2 and in first place in the division.

;D

 

Blowing 3-goal, third period leads... it's called Bruins.

 

Nice work Wild! But damn you Blackhawks! Your loss cost me $115 in Pro-Line!

 

Leafs sleep walk to a 4-2 loss to the Panthers. The score is flattering. If Aubin hadn't stood on his head, it could have been 9-2

 

I went to the Kings-Pens game Wednesday, and I have to say...

That Sidney kid and Malkin chap are pretty good.

 

And it only took a tad more than seven minutes to allow those goals. Ouch.

 

I'm glad to see nobody picked Jean-Guy Drouin....guy's a frog pussy.

 

Somehow, Flash, I forgot all about Brodeur. My argument for Cloutier was he has always been outstanding during the regular season, the playoffs not so much, and even then it is debateable how much he could have prevented some of those collapses. But now that I have been reminded of Brodeur, he attomatically bumps both Luongo and Cloutier down a peg andd takes the starters role.

 

Anyone here ever watched a game by the Los Angeles Kings TV guys. Ugggh. Bob Miller is great, just fantastic, but Jim Fox is terrible to listen to. He ends every sentence the exact same way, with this little tone that makes you think he's late for a bus or something. It's dreadful.

 

About time this happened ... apparently, Ron needed some time to himself before finally accepting:

'Ronnie Franchise' joins Hurricanes front office
By MARGARET LILLARD
Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Ron Francis, who led the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002 and holds franchise records in goals and assists, joined the front office Friday as director of player development.
Francis, whose 23-year career included Stanley Cup titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992, will work with and assess players in the Carolina system and will report to Marshall Johnston, the team's director of pro scouting.
"Ron's knowledge of the game of hockey and his experience as a player go without mention,'' general manager Jim Rutherford said. "Having Ron in this role will be a true benefit to the players and the Hurricanes organization.''
Francis, 43, was taken by the Hartford Whalers with the fourth overall pick in 1981, and averaged 27 goals in his first nine seasons before he was traded to Pittsburgh in 1991. He scored the Cup-clinching goal the following season in Game 4 at Chicago.
After arriving in Carolina in 1998, he helped the former Whalers franchise gain its footing in a region best known for basketball. His best season came in 2002, when he tallied 27 goals and 50 assists to help the Hurricanes win the Eastern Conference title. They were defeated in the finals by Detroit in five games.
Two seasons later, with the Hurricanes out of the playoffs, he was traded to Toronto in what was seen as his probable last shot at another Stanley Cup. Instead, the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the second round.
That summer, Francis turned down a front-office job with the Hurricanes. But the labor dispute between the National Hockey League and its players' association wiped out the 2004-05 season and was "pretty much the writing on the wall'' that his playing days were done, Francis said when his retirement was announced in September 2005.
He left the game with a resume few could rival — second only to Wayne Gretzky with 1,249 assists, and among the league's all-time leaders with 1,731 games (third), 549 goals (19th) and 1,798 points (fourth).
He was known to Hartford-Carolina fans as "Ronnie Franchise,'' holding team records including goals (382) and assists (793), and ranking third in regular season games played with 1,186.
The team retired his No. 10 jersey in January.

 

Great PR move by the Canes.

 

It's almost a 'what took you so long' thing, though ...