NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

A strange decision all the way around, starting with the timing. Why do you fire him at this point: two months after the season ends unless you've got someone else lined up?

And speaking of having someone else lined up, the next in line here is going to inherit the same bad team that Crawford dealt with the last two seasons. The Michael J. Fox doppelganger had next to nothing to work with and it pains this Kings fan to note that this isn't going to change next year... or the year after.

 

Reports out of Kitchener (K-W Record, 570news.com) have Pete DeBoer being named head coach in Ottawa.

http://news.therecord.com/News/BreakingNews/article/365238
http://www.570news.com/news/topstory/article.jsp?content=20080611_115210_7840

He's been a fantastic junior coach. The NHL is a different animal but he's smart enough to adapt. DeBoer earned his law degree while an assistant coach with the Detroit Jr. Wings back in the early 90s.

 

And maybe Butler will move to Kitchener. We can only hope.

 

I thought one of the other Lombardi quotes was hilarious: "We knew we weren't going to be world-beaters, but we didn't think we'd be out of the playoffs in January."

 

Don't even JOKE about that!!

 

Or, to spin it a certain way, Kings fire the coach while the Lakers are in the NBA Finals so no one will write about it happening.

 

It's a sad day for Vancouver hockey fans, Trevor Linden is one of the most genuine athletes I have ever met. There have been thousands of better players, but none classier.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=226bafc6-e16d-4ecd-b804-56042602f2f2

 

Red Wings assistant Todd McLellan to be named Sharks head coach (Yahoo.com reporting)

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AvbRlu3H_xj4i4Oq7csrMkA5nYcB?slug=rm-sharksmclellan061108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

No one would write about it anyway. And that's coming from a huge Kings fan. They are one of the poorest ran orginizations in professional sports and I can't imagine much fan interest in L.A.

 

Trust me, I bought a few tickets for a Kings-Montreal game this season and ever since I've been pounded by Staples and the Kings for deals and events going on. I like going to see a game there a few times a year, but gas prices being what they are and the teams being what they are, I'll gladly see a Ducks game over a Kings game (shorter drive being that I'm in San Diego).

Kings are definitely a poorly run franchise and this move with Crawford happened about as quickly as I thought it would. I hope for this team's sake they'll go a different direction instead of a retread.

 

Nice piece on Trevor Linden's retirement by Gary Mason of the Globe.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080612.BCMASON12/TPStory/

Maybe the classiest athlete in ANY sport.

And they're handing out the hardware tonight.

Caps could win the Hart (a shoe in for Alexander O), Jack Adams (likewise for Boudreau) and the Calder (Backstrom) who's up against Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

Leonsis is pumped

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080612.wsptaward/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/home

 

I just thought this was funny.

For a few hours Friday, a T-shirt hailing Washington left winger Alex Ovechkin as the winner of the NHL's most valuable player award was advertised on the league's official Web site.

League officials subsequently said NHL's licensees prepare for all possible outcomes in matters such as voting for the Hart Trophy because the league wants to have merchandise available to fans in the most timely manner possible.

Having the link to the Ovechkin T-shirt activated was described as "an error by our e-commerce provider."

The Ovechkin link disappeared, but it's generally assumed that it will return this evening after the league holds its annual awards show in Toronto. Ovechkin is a prohibitive favorite to receive the Hart, one of the trophies that will be handed out during the event, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Elgin Theatre.

The other two Hart finalists are Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Calgary winger Jarome Iginla.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08164/889318-61.stm

If Ovechkin's not the Hart winner, I still want one of those shirts, just for laughs.