Rinne and Hedberg featured as NHL.com looks at the stars of the shootout

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

It’s hard to believe, but the shootout has been with us for five seasons. The breakaway competition was adopted in 2005 as a way to settle games tied after overtime and has turned into a must-see — how many times have you been flicking through TV channels and stopped to watch when you saw teams getting ready to go to the shootout?

Johan Hedberg, Devils — New Jersey doesn’t figure to struggle in shootouts this season even when coach John MacLean gives Brodeur a night off. Hedberg, who played with Dallas in 2005-06 and Atlanta the last four seasons, is a combined 16-5 with an .805 save percentage that leads all goaltenders who have taken part in 20 or more shootouts. He never has lost a shootout at home, going 8-0 with the Stars and Thrashers.

Pekka Rinne, Predators — When your team struggles to score, you’d better have a goaltender who’s good at shootouts, and Nashville has one in Rinne. He’s 11-5 in his two NHL seasons while posting a .768 save percentage. For whatever reason, Rinne gets in a lot more shootouts when playing at home; he’s 12-3 at Bridgestone Arena but just 1-2 on the road.

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Jay Grossman interview with Bob McCown & John Shannon of the FAN 590

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Jay Grossman with Bob McCown & John Shannon on FAN 590

Devils’ signing of Ilya Kovalchuk puts a smile on coach John MacLean’s face

Monday, July 19th, 2010

The best news John MacLean received this summer was getting hired to coach the Devils.

However, the signing of Ilya Kovalchuk today ranks a close second.

“I have a smile on my face,” MacLean told The Star-Ledger.

Now it will be MacLean’s job to fit a talented individual into the Devils’ team concept.

“We all know that, even looking at him on another team, that he’s an exceptional talent,” MacLean said. “As I’ve stated before, I have not heard from anybody throughout the organization a bad word about him. He’s a tremendous teammate and addition. He’ll have no issuses playing for the team.

“Hew signed here for a reason, to try to win a championship. This organization has a good history of that, so you know he wants to be part of the team. That’s what I’m excited about.”

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Done Deal-ya: Kovalchuk returns (Via NJ Devils)

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Big decisions take time, but Ilya Kovalchuk has made up his mind: he’s coming back to the Devils.

Since the free agent signing period began on July 1, almost every day brought new speculation on where the two-time 50-goal scorer might be headed. One of the most coveted unrestricteds in history, Kovalchuk finally ended the suspense Monday, following the Devils’ announcement that he’s staying in the Garden State. A 1 p.m. press conference will be held Tuesday at Prudential Center.

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Ilya Kovalchuk signs with New Jersey Devils

Monday, July 19th, 2010

PuckAgency is proud to announce that All-Star left wing Ilya Kovalchuk has come to terms to re-sign with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. Ilya was the most highly coveted free agent on the market and had several options with teams all over the globe. “Ilya is excited to be continuing his career with New Jersey and knows first-hand the team’s dedication and commitment to winning.” said Jay Grossman, President of PuckAgency.

Kovalchuk, 27, spent the beginning of the 2009-2010 with the Atlanta Thrashers, the team who selected Kovalchuk number one overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, and was later traded to New Jersey in February of this year. The Tver, Russian native, was the premiere free agent in the 2010 crop after posting his sixth 40 goal season, scoring 41 goals split between Atlanta and New Jersey.  The three time NHL All –Star has scored the second most goals in the NHL since 2001 and is the 2004 co-recipient of the NHL’s Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy which honors the top scorer in the NHL. Recently named to Sports Illustrated’s “All Decade Team” and Business Week’s 100 Top Athletes, Kovalchuk has emerged as one of the game’s most powerful athletes.

Kuznetsov stars in summer camp scrimmage

Friday, July 16th, 2010

The first of three Red-White scrimmages ended in a hard-fought 4-4 tie that was highlighted by two goals and a primary assist from Evgeny Kuznetsov, the Caps’ first round draft pick last month.

The scrimmage also featured a pair of goals from invitee Sean Wiles (Alaska-Anchorage), a fight between 6-8 defenseman Joe Finley and Anthony Pisano and a serious-looking knee injury to Hershey defenseman Zach Miskovic.

Miskovic will miss the remainder of camp, according to GM George McPhee, who didn’t say much more about the injury. Miskovic told me it’s “just a sprain” as he limped out wearing a brace.

“He should be okay,” McPhee said. “Hopefully it’s something that won’t require surgery.”

Miskovic was injured when he was hit by Finley near the side boards. Finley, skating for the Kuznetsov’s Red team, was immediately challenged by Pisano, a fighter who was born in Elkton, Md. The scrap featured a lot of grappling and Finley ending up on top.

“I didn’t mind one scrap,” McPhee said. “If you’re going to have confrontations, drop the sticks and get it over with. I didn’t want them to go again. It looked like they wanted to do it again. They were a little frisky today and wanted to blow off some steam. That’s fine.”

The big story, though, was Kuznetsov’s impressive debut. The 26th overall pick scored on a redirection and by finishing off a crossing pass and also set up Wiles’s first goal with a nifty play.

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MacLean meets the A-Train

Friday, July 16th, 2010

John MacLean has already given the A-Train an A-plus.

The new head coach met one of the newest members of his defense on Thursday when Anton Volchenkov rumbled through Prudential Center for a visit. The Russian blueliner was in town to work out family arrangements for his move to New Jersey.

“Nice kid, looking forward to it,” MacLean said Thursday. “Big guy.”

Volchenkov signed as a free agent from Ottawa on July 1, along with fellow defender Henrik Tallinder and goaltender Johan Hedberg. Devils’ President/CEO/GM Lou Lamoriello offered high praise for Volchenkov’s hard-hitting style, describing it as something the Devils have been missing from their blueline.

“Volchenkov, we certainly have played against enough, and he’s going to do something in our zone that we have not had recently, in fact since Scott Stevens left,” Lamoriello said shortly after the signing.

He’s the kind of player that could make life just a little easier for a first year head coach.

“He plays the game hard,” MacLean said. “He’s a shot blocker, he takes the body, he’s not nice to play against. I know Patrik [Elias] and Travis [Zajac] were here so they met him. I’m sure they were excited not having to run into him six times a year, only in practice.”

Volchenkov is one of the game’s premier shot blockers, as his 172 in 2009-10 can attest. It’s not just the quantity, but the style which MacLean admires, noting that Volchenkov doesn’t get caught out of position.

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Devils’ Martin Brodeur understands Ilya Kovalchuk’s discomfort as free agency decision drags on

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Martin Brodeur has never been an unrestricted free agent, but the Devils’ goaltender thinks he knows what Ilya Kovalchuk is going through.

Like Devils management and most fans, he is anxious to hear Kovalchuk’s decision about where he will play next season.

“I’m sure Kovy is not feeling good about what is going on right now,” Brodeur told me today after another day without a decision from Kovalchuk. “I don’t know for sure, but it can’t be something that is comfortable, because if something is comfortable you get it done right away.

“When you’re torn between two things or three things it cannot be something that is fun. The pay day is going to be fun, but regardless of what is coming you have to think about all of this.

“I’d love to have him back. I enjoyed playing with him, having Kovy on the team. He’s one of the great players I’ve played with in my career.”

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Babchuk is back

Friday, July 9th, 2010

As expected, the Carolina Hurricanes signed defenseman Anton Babchuk to a one-year deal shortly after the free-agency signing period opened Thursday.

The Hurricanes retained Babchuk’s rights after last season when the two sides couldn’t agree on terms. Babchuk, 26, spent the season in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

The Hurricanes had made him a qualifying offer at the end of last season, but Babchuk had lost his arbitration rights when he left to play in Russia for the 2007-08 season, and so he went back to Russia.

Babchuk had a career year with the Hurricanes during his last season (2008-09) with the team, scoring 16 goals — including four game-winners — and 19 assists.

“I will admit that we missed him,” Rutherford said Thursday. “I said at the time, it’s going to be hard to replace those 16 goals. We didn’t.”

Dmitri Chesnokov of Puck Daddy Chatting with Anton Volchenkov about deal with the Devils

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

When defenseman Anton Volchenkov left the Ottawa Senators yesterday for a 6-year, $4.25 million-per-season deal with the New Jersey Devils, he left the only team he’s played for in the NHL.

In finding a new hockey home, Volchenkov’s main motivation was the length of the deal; the security of a contract given the shot-blocking, physical game he plays.

I spoke with Volchenkov last night about his decision to sign with New Jersey and how this challenge will be different than the one in Ottawa:

Q. Congratulations of the new contract. What are your feelings now that you signed a 6-year contract with the New Jersey Devils?

VOLCHENKOV: Well, actually, these are some unusual feelings, because I have been playing in the NHL for 8 years now and all for the same team. Of course it was tough to leave and change teams, but on the other hand I am very happy that I signed with a club that always plays in the playoffs. I am looking forward to all the future battles.

Were the Devils your first choice? Or were there any other clubs that were in serious contention?

Well, there was a choice for me. I did have it. But the Devils’ offer was a really firm one. And since they were the most persuasive that’s the one I was seriously considering. So I decided to sign with New Jersey.

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