Via Joanne Ireland – Edmonton Journal Nikolai Khabibulin, the Edmonton Oilers rejuvenated goaltender, has become a curiosity of sorts, dusting off a game that hasn’t been in vogue since he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04. He was 31-years-old back then, not 38, and he wasn’t coming off the kind of season he
Category: Puck Blog
Conversation with Pekka Rinne’s agent, Jay Grossman
Via Smashville 24/7 Smashville 24/7: First of all, your initial thoughts on Rinne’s contract? Jay Grossman: Obviously there was a long decision-making process, and there are a lot of factors that go into something of this nature and magnitude. I was really proud of Pekka because he’s had two other contract negotiations, which from an
Pekka Rinne’s agent, Jay Grossman, explains 7-year, $49-million megadeal with Nashville Predators
Via Greg Wyshynski – Puck Daddy With the 7-year, $49 million contract extension they announced on Thursday, his 29th birthday, the Nashville Predators have signed Pekka Rinne to the largest deal in franchise history. They’ve also made him the highest-paid goaltender in the National Hockey League for players under contract in 2012-13, based on his
The renaissance of Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin
Via Tim Kavanagh – ESPN.com Before the start of the 2011-12 season, Nikolai Khabibulin was left for dead by just about everyone in the fantasy hockey world. Based on what we’d seen during his trying 2010-11 season — on and off the ice — it appeared that the former star had nothing left in the
Nashville Predators sign Pekka Rinne to largest contract in franchise history
Via Sean Gentille – Sporting News Pekka Rinne is one of the NHL’s top goaltenders. Now, he’ll be paid accordingly. The Nashville Predators signed Rinne, who would’ve been an unrestricted free agent after the season, to a seven-year, $49 million extension, the team announced Thursday. No goalie in the league currently carries a $7 million
Nashville Predators and goaltender Pekka Rinne Agree To 7-Year Extension
Via The Nashville Predators Nashville, Tenn. (November 3, 2011) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed goaltender Pekka Rinne to a seven-year, $49 million contract – the largest in franchise history. “Today’s signing is further evidence of our ownership’s commitment to keeping our core intact,”
Nikolai Khabibulin: Edmonton Oilers Goalie Is NHL’s Biggest Surprise
Via Adam Graham – Bleacher Report If I asked you who the best goaltending duo in the NHL was, what would your answer be? Would it be Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider in Vancouver? Perhaps it’s Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask in Boston. How about Martin Brodeur and the resurging Johan Hedberg in New Jersey?
Ottawa Senators’ Kaspars Daugavins scores first career NHL goal
OTTAWA – For a while the Ottawa Senators felt like they were playing a road game in their own building. But a key goal by Kaspars Daugavins quited the Maple Leaf fans at Scotiabank Place as the Senators hung on against their provincial rivals. Daugavins’ first career goal stood as the winner as the Senators
Ilya Bryzgalov and Nikolai Khabibulin’s reversal of fortunes
Via Ken Baker – NHL.com It’s a tale of two Russians. One’s a comeback story starring Edmonton’s 38-year-old Nikolai Khabibulin, who, after a lackluster 2010-11 season and then a summer in which he spent 15 days in an Arizona jail on a driving-under-the-influence charge, was not expected to do great things this year. The other
Nikolai Khabibulin may be returning to his old form
Via John Kreiser – NHL.com Nikolai Khabibulin has been reminding NHL shooters that he used to be one of the League’s premier goaltenders. Khabibulin and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers had a miserable season in 2010-11 — they finished last overall for the second straight season, and he went 10-32-4 with a 3.40 goals-against