Red Baron 0 Report post Posted November 1, 2005 I think its best to conduct a thread once a month for the NHL. TSN.ca reported that Paval Bure has retired and is now the GM for the Russian Hockey team for the Olympics. Does Paval Bure belong in the NHL? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kismet 0 Report post Posted November 1, 2005 From what I can see, he was deemed medically unable to play by the Rangers at last look. Has this changed? Or do you mean as a coach or otherwise? On a more personal fandom note, the Red Wings finish off their first ever back to back to back that's not a part of the playoffs tonight against the Blackhawks. It had become something of a tradition, or at least a coincidental occurrence for more years than not that the Wings/Hawks played on Halloween night, so kind of a bummer that the game tonight wasn't last night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted November 1, 2005 Bure retired as a player. He is now a GM for the Russian National team. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kismet 0 Report post Posted November 1, 2005 Yeah, I saw that after I posted. Does he belong in the NHL as a coach or GM? Not sure. I assume after getting Russian Hockey GM job that he may be on peoples radar now. It will be at least some way to see what he can do, and be a transition from player to front office in the NHL. If he went cold from player to front office, it would be a bit strange. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted November 1, 2005 Someone please change the spelling to "November" on the thread title, please. That's going to drive me crazy for the next month. Bruins get the Isles tonight, hopefully they can actually hang onto a lead, which is something that they've been unable to do so far this season. At some point this season, they're going to have to make a trade for a defenseman. I'm sorry, but Kevin Dallman and Andy Alberts have not shown that they are ready to be at this level. And who is the backup? Ian Moran, a guy better suited to play as a forward because he's not big enough to be a full-time defenseman. God forbid anyone should get injured. They only have essentially six defensemen. The offense is OK, nothing exceptional but nothing bad. I'm hoping that if Zhamnov is ever healthy enough to play that he can bring a little bit extra something. The lines are good, but an extra finisher wouldn't hurt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted November 1, 2005 Habs and Florida tonight. I hope the Habs keep the momentum they had last night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 I really hope Montreal makes an acquicition to get a good defenceman in, or two. That was a horrible game by them, and luckly they got away with two points. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kismet 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 Wings win again, but Legace goes down with a knee injury. It's being called a slight knee sprain, so here's hoping it's very minor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 Bruins lose 4-3 in OT after Jiri Slegr gets torched by Shawn Bates for the winner. Leetch and Isbister were both hurt in the second. Leetch hurt his knee, while it appears that Scatchard may have reaggravated the groin injury he's been fighting. It appears Mikey has decided to pair Señora Gill and Nick Boynton on the second pairing, I guess to help Boynton get into playing shape faster by having to cover for Señora in the defensive zone. Toivonen has been very good in a backup capacity, but he needs to get his rebounds under control. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fartsauce 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 This season has been "bizzaro world" for the Oilers. Win first 3, lose the next 7, Mac-T bag skates the team, now they win 3 in a row again. Now we begin a 7 game road trip. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 I wouldn't be surprised if the Oilers send in the tape of Nash knocking out Peca last night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nl5xsk1 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 Bruins lose 4-3 in OT after Jiri Slegr gets torched by Shawn Bates for the winner. Leetch and Isbister were both hurt in the second. Leetch hurt his knee, while it appears that Scatchard may have reaggravated the groin injury he's been fighting. It appears Mikey has decided to pair Señora Gill and Nick Boynton on the second pairing, I guess to help Boynton get into playing shape faster by having to cover for Señora in the defensive zone. Toivonen has been very good in a backup capacity, but he needs to get his rebounds under control. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Max, you jinxed the B's by saying "God forbid anyone should get injured. They only have essentially six defensemen." ... I haven't heard how long Leetch is going to be out, but anything longer than a few games ... ugh. Alberts and/or Dallman would be fine as part of a 3rd pairing. But with the way the B's are, they have to eat up so much ice time. Hopefully the B's can make up a package that would get them at least a 2nd pairing D-man (start with Hillbert, who still wants to get out of town, and throw in a few other guys). I'm very disappointed in the Bruins, but they really haven't had a full roster yet. Hopefully these last few injuries are the end of the cycle (for now) and they can field the full team that they invisioned before the season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fartsauce 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 I wouldn't be surprised if the Oilers send in the tape of Nash knocking out Peca last night. I saw the hit again and it's clean. Tough break though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest nWoCHRISnWo Report post Posted November 2, 2005 -Montreal games have been heart-racing so far. Do they gotta win every game by 1 goal? -Ottawa kicks ass and I fully expect them to finally get over the hump and make the finals this year. Detroit is awesome too, although they do have an easy schedule, but their record is dominating. I wanna see these teams go at it. -Pittsburgh won another game, hurray! They seem to have been playing a lot better their last 3 games (2 of them wins) so hopefully they start to turn their season around a bit here. -How's everyone doing in their pools? I'm sitting at 10th out of 102 in my work pool. Won 30$ on a sports select ticket yesterday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 Max, you jinxed the B's by saying "God forbid anyone should get injured. They only have essentially six defensemen." ... I haven't heard how long Leetch is going to be out, but anything longer than a few games ... ugh. Alberts and/or Dallman would be fine as part of a 3rd pairing. But with the way the B's are, they have to eat up so much ice time. Hopefully the B's can make up a package that would get them at least a 2nd pairing D-man (start with Hillbert, who still wants to get out of town, and throw in a few other guys). I'm very disappointed in the Bruins, but they really haven't had a full roster yet. Hopefully these last few injuries are the end of the cycle (for now) and they can field the full team that they invisioned before the season. I can't find any updates on Leetch, so hopefully he's just day-to-day. I don't think Alberts/Dallman would make a good pairing, because it seems that they both need a veteran to hold their hand through the game right now. Leetch has enough to worry about, as does Boynton. I'd make a package of players and try to lure Rob Blake from Colorado. They've already declined the option on him for next season and getting something for him would be Colorado's best bet. From the Bruins perspective, they need a #1, go-to guy. Blake may only have a few years left in him, but he's been playing well as of late and can be a stopgap until something better comes on the market. On paper this is a very good offensive team with two great young goaltenders. The huge hole is at defense. I'd look into giving up any combo of Isbister, PJ, Scatchard, Fitzgerald and Leahy (even though I like him). Plus the Bruins have a wealth of young prospects. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kismet 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 The Wings schedule gets harder in the upcoming weeks. Starting on the 13th, they have two west coast trips sandwiching a 3 game homestand against Nashville, Colorado, and St Louis. The first trip west is the Western Canadian swing, then the second is California. By the end of the month we should have a better handle on how good the Wings really are. Only thing I've seen on Leetch is "it's not serious" and that he will miss the next game. Legacy is going to be ok from all reports so far. Just hope it doesn't become a lingering thing. Osgood is solid enough, but I'd prefer Legace back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike546 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2005 I just saw on the ESPN bottom line hes out a month. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kismet 0 Report post Posted November 3, 2005 A month? That's a bit more than "not serious" Especially with the way the Boston fans say the Defensemen depth on the team is pretty weak. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted November 3, 2005 Max is sad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted November 3, 2005 And did anyone catch Ottawa thumping Buffalo tonight? That was ugly. Havlat had four goals, Alfredsson had four goals, Spezza had four assists, Heatley had two goals and an assist. This team looks to be the team to beat in the NHL. Not just the East. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dogbert 0 Report post Posted November 3, 2005 Ottawa is incredible. They're just tearing it up out there. Goalies have to be absolutely incredible to beat them at this point. Their two losses came in games where Martin Gerber and Robert Esche were standing on their heads. Anything short of Superman can't keep the puck out of the Sens' opponents' net. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Rrrsh Report post Posted November 3, 2005 Matt Cooke is out for a month with a broken jaw. He got it in practice. That must just suck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fartsauce 0 Report post Posted November 3, 2005 MONTREAL (CP) - Jacques Demers, a coach and later a general manager in the National Hockey League for 15 years, admits he is illiterate. That and other revelations about the life of one of the NHL's more colourful coaches is revealed in a biography in French released Wednesday called 'Jacques Demers En Toutes Lettres', which roughly translates as 'Jacques Demers From A To Z'. The book was written by Journal de Montreal desk editor and former Montreal Canadiens beat writer Mario Leclerc. It contains 26 chapters, one for each letter of the alphabet. Demers said at a gala book launch at a Bell Centre restaurant that his inability to read and write resulted from an impoverished childhood. His father beat and psychologically abused Demers and his mother. Related Info * Demers Book Launch He spoke about treating children with compassion. ''All I wanted from my father was to treat me with love,'' Demers said. ''Not to beat me up when I did something wrong. Not to beat up my mom. It really hurt me because he took away my childhood. ''The other thing I wanted to say was that if I could not write or read, it was because I had so much of a problem with anxiety because of the things going on in the family. I couldn't go to sleep at night. I'd go to school and I couldn't learn anything. ''So the message is, leave the kids alone. Don't beat them up. They're defenceless. Don't beat up their mom in front of the kids. He was an alcoholic, but he also wasn't a very good person to do that.'' It is remarkable that Demers was able to coach the Quebec Nordiques, the St. Louis Blues, the Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he was also general manager in the late 1990s, without being able to read or write. Only a few people knew of his problem. He finessed his way through most of it, he says in the book, by asking secretaries and media relations people to write letters for him, saying his English wasn't good enough. Even his wife Debbie didn't know until, after haranguing him for days over not writing cheques for the household bills, he broke down and told her his deepest secret. As general manager, he brought in Cliff Fletcher and Jay Feaster as assistants to handle contracts he couldn't read. ''I never really was a GM,'' he said. ''I hired Cliff Fletcher and Jay Feaster because I knew I couldn't do that. ''I could read a little bit but I can't write very well. I took to protecting myself. You put a wall around yourself. And when I was given the possibility of talking, I could speak well and I think that really saved me.'' The book takes readers from his rough childhood in the Cotes-des-Neiges neighbourhood near downtown Montreal to his rise up the coaching ranks to his current job as hockey analyst at the French-Language RDS network, where he has worked for four years. He coached very good Detroit teams that reached the conference finals twice in the 1980s and his crowning achievement was taking the Canadiens to their 24th Stanley Cup at the old Montreal Forum in 1993. One of his players on that team, Benoit Brunet, said he never guessed Demers was illiterate. ''That was a big surprise,'' said Brunet. ''I've worked with him at RDS and we had a lot of preparation to do before games and I never noticed a thing. ''But when a guy comes out in a book and says that, he's putting his head on the block. That's why he always had the respect of the players. It's incredible that he went so far without knowing about reading and writing.'' Leclerc said Demers told him about his illiteracy while on a trip to watch the Canadiens' AHL affiliate during the 1994-95 NHL lockout. When publisher Stanke approached Demers about doing a book, he turned to Leclerc to write it. ''I didn't want to do a first-person book and just talk about the Stanley Cup,'' said Leclerc. ''Unless he wanted to do a book about his life and all the problems he faced, I wasn't interested. ''I wanted to portray the soul of the man. He agreed. He said no restrictions. I spoke to 38 people to get their vision of Jacques.'' The publishers are currently studying whether to do an English translation, Leclerc added. Demers is one of the most popular sports figures in Quebec and more than 200 people turned out for the book launch, including many Canadiens players and personnel from his time as coach. In the book, he talks about looking after his siblings and how in his first year as coach in St. Louis he was so strapped for cash his wife had to take a job at a dry cleaners and they had to stay in Doug Gilmour's apartment for a summer. It also talks of how he had to deal with six Red Wings who went on a drinking binge the night before the decisive game of a playoff series and of his controversial parting with the Canadiens. When asked why he elected to make his troubles public, Demers said ''because I'm free now. I'm liberated. ''I have no problem saying what I wanted to say. That's what I needed. I've been carrying this all my life. I succeeded, and I'm telling people `you're capable of doing something in your life even if you have some big handicaps.''' WOW Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted November 3, 2005 The President's Trophy-winning Senators are going down to 8th-seeded Toronto in 6 in the first round. We all know it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nl5xsk1 0 Report post Posted November 3, 2005 Max, I worded my sentence poorly when talking about Dallman & Alberts ... I meant to imply that one or the other would be fine as a 3rd pairing D-man, with someone more experienced to stabilize them. Maybe Slegr, seeing as I don't trust Gill and wouldn't want Boynton to have to drop that deep. In re-reading what I wrote, it looked like I was saying that the two rooks should be a pairing ... not what I meant to say, though. And, yeah, I heard about Leetch yesterday while driving away from work, but didn't get the chance to go online and provide an update. With him being out for a minimum of 4 weeks, and Moran going to get his knee scoped, the B's D is in worse shape than ever. Raycroft was talking about being back tonight vs. Florida, so that would help. Nothing against Toivenen, but I feel more confident with Razor in net. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0 Report post Posted November 4, 2005 Woohoo! Pens win back to back games for the first time and it appears the recent callups of Whitney and Christianson have paid off. Two guys who probably should've made the squad in the first place are making a difference. SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOCKING Crosby getting 2+1 probably doesn't hurt any, nor does Caron learning how to play goalie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustJoe2k5 0 Report post Posted November 4, 2005 Hurricanes defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3, and have won six straight home games. They are off to the best start in franchise history. Eric Staal had two goals and one assist, should've had the hat trick but his final goal was called back by an Erik Cole dive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted November 4, 2005 Dallman left the game after blocking a shot and limping off the ice. So... Gill, Boynton, Alberts, Slegr, Jurcina...? Ray Bourque just signed as a coaching consultant. Maybe he can lace 'em up until Leetch gets back or MOC discovers that he's actually allowed to make trades during the season. The offense looked good tonight, as per usual. Toivonen had probably his best game so far. Even the goal wasn't his fault, it was a defensive breakdown (surprise!) The offense took advantage of a Luongo mistake behind the Florida net, allowing Boyes to score the first goal. The second was a nice set play with Joe, Muzz and Sammy combining for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted November 4, 2005 Another win over a good team for the Sens, beating Tampa Bay 4-2. They didn't even play particularly well from what I could see. The only thing standing between them and the Presidents Trophy is the fact that Detroit is going to go about 30-2 against the Central. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kismet 0 Report post Posted November 4, 2005 Edmonton's speed is too much for Detroit tonight and go down 4-3 in overtime. Oilers are fun to watch, I hope to see them more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
