Via Richard Chere of The Star Ledger The tragedy of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash on Sept. 7 still weighs on the mind of Devils winger Ilya Kovalchuk. He lost friends, former teammates and peers. “That’s a tragedy. Very sad. You can’t really say much,” Kovalchuk said today at the Prudential Center in Newark. “I
Category: Puck Blog
Khabibulin Humbled By Experience
Jim Matheson, Yahoo! Sports September 13, 2011 Edmonton Oilers’ goalie Nikolai Khabibulin says his incarceration at the Tent City in Arizona for drunk driving earlier this summer was a sobering experience, something he’s very glad is over with as he tries to rebound from last year’s miserable season. “I’m not going to lie … it
Rundblad ‘ready to try’:The young Swede may be short on bold statements, but not talent
From Allen Panzieri of The Ottawa Citizen If David Rundblad’s outstanding 2010-1011 season in the Swedish Elite League hadn’t already been shouted out from on high, making him one of the top rookies to watch this fall, you’d have a bit of trouble finding it out from him. In an age when professional athletes are
ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun Talks Trapezoid With Vezina Candidate Pekka Rinne
As the season is almost near and the preseason is just around the corner, ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun sits down with 2011 Vezina & Hart candidate Pekka Rinne and chats about that pesky trapezoid.
NHL.com Ranks Rinne as Top Fantasy Goalie Going Into 11-12 Season
It’s never easy determining when to select your first goaltender in a draft. Is it worth risking not having an elite goal-scorer on your squad to lock up one of the best goalies? Do you wait until the middle rounds to take your first goalkeeper and hope to get lucky with a high-risk, high-reward guy
Kovy and Ovi Hold Second Annual Charity Game To Benefit Kids In Need
Via RT.com There was a feast of hockey talent on the ice in Moscow last night. Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin and the New Jersey Devils Ilya Kovalchuk led two teams packed with celebrities. The charity game raised over $ 500,000 for a Russian orphanage. The line-ups comprised several high-profile officials including presidential aide Arkady
Breaking Down Kovy’s Snipe Past Three Hurricanes
New Jersey was all a buzz when the Garden State team resigned the lethal winger from Tver Russia last summer. Number 17 brought his fabulous goal scoring ability to the Devils and his signature first pump. No wonder he’s such a great fit in NJ! There is probably no better example of Kovalchuk’s supreme offensive
Preds’ Pekka Rinne Ranks 2nd In Top 20 Players By Goals Versus Threshold
Finnish goalie Pekka Rinne sure did have a great 2010-2011 NHL season. With gaudy regular season stats, a magical playoff run, and a honorable 2nd place finish in Vezina voting, Rinne is definitely a player to watch coming into the 2011-2012 season. On Wednesday (8/17) the Kukla’s Korner blog released the ranking of the Top
John Fischer of In Lou We Trust Breaks Down Kovalchuk’s Breakaway Beauty
Check out John Fischer’s August 15th piece entitled “NJ Devils Goal Breakdown: Ilya Kovalchuk’s Breakaway Beauty on 2/18/2011” on the In Lou We Trust blog. Excerpt I spent a good chunk of the offseason looking at the goals against the New Jersey Devils, separated by goaltenders Johan Hedberg and Martin Brodeur. While valuable, it’s not
Russia Takes Bronze at Hlinka, Prospect Kamaev Scores 2 goals Including Shootout Winner
The 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament wrapped up Saturday with Canada squaring off with Sweden in the gold medal game and Russia taking on Finland in the bronze medal game. The tournament which showcased some of the game’s top prospects featured Russia’s Dennis Kamaev of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL. Kamaev dazzled as he