Saturday, April 18, 2009
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Friday, April 17, 2009
Blue Jackets off to rough start!!!
The playoff-neophyte Columbus Blue Jackets belonged on the ice with the mighty Detroit Red Wings for more than half of Game 1.
Then, Manny Malhotra made an awful decision and Columbus couldn't recover.
Detroit's Jonathan Ericsson scored the go-ahead goal with 6:39 left in the second period on a shot that Malhotra tried to snatch with his glove, the defending Stanley Cup champions scored again less than a minute later and went on to beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 on Thursday.
"I saw the shot all the way and I wanted to grab it," Malhotra said. "But I didn't get enough of it, obviously."
Obviously.
Detroit coach Mike Babcock certainly wasn't going to apologize for the fortunate break that proved to be the pivotal moment of the playoff-opening game.
"The way they're playing, everyone is playing goal and trying to block shots," Babcock said. "You can block a lot of shots, but it also ends up going off you sometimes."
Columbus' Ken Hitchcock insisted he doesn't coach his players to do what Malhotra did in front of goalie Steve Mason.
"We've made that mistake before and it cost us the same way," Hitchcock said. "That's an easy, simple save for Mason."
Chris Osgood had to make a diving save 1½ minutes into the game, bailing out a teammate who turned the puck over, and didn't give up a goal in the first period despite facing three power plays and 14 shots.
Mason stopped the first 21 shots he faced before giving up three goals -- two of which he was helpless -- in a five-shot stretch.
The rookie said the series is "absolutely" not over.
"We leave here with it being a game apiece and that will be a good accomplishment," said Mason, who finished with 30 saves.
Game 2 of the first-round series is Saturday night in Detroit.
The Blue Jackets were in control early, easily outshooting the Red Wings and not allowing a second shot until midway through the first period.
Mason turned away each of the 14 shots he faced in the first, and Osgood had 13 saves in the scoreless period.
"From there on it was all downhill," Mason said.
Detroit's Jiri Hudler fired up a restless crowd by scoring midway through the second period.
Undaunted, Columbus scored less than a minute later.
R.J. Umberger made it 1-all at 11:40 of the second period and it wasn't until Malhotra made the gaffe a few minutes later that the Red Wings truly seized the momentum.
Ericsson lifted a shot from above the right circle toward the net, Malhotra stuck out his left glove while standing in front of Mason and the go-ahead goal was in the books.
"This is playoff hockey. This is what happens," Hudler said. "Thank God it went in."
Forty-eight seconds later, Niklas Kronwall gave Detroit a two-goal lead on a shot that Mason never saw -- until it was past him -- because burly forward Johan Franzen was perched in front of him.
Less than three minutes into the third period, Franzen slipped a shot between Mason's right skate and the post to make it 4-1. He scored after two Blue Jackets went after Henrik Zetterberg behind the net.
"The fourth I'd like to have back," Mason said.
Despite the lopsided score, Columbus sounded confident about its chances in the franchise's first playoff series since joining the NHL for the 2000-01 season.
"The one thing that was a bit of a concern was guys being overwhelmed," defenseman Mike Commodore said. "We were in a tough building, but we came out and played on even terms with them.
Then, Manny Malhotra made an awful decision and Columbus couldn't recover.
Detroit's Jonathan Ericsson scored the go-ahead goal with 6:39 left in the second period on a shot that Malhotra tried to snatch with his glove, the defending Stanley Cup champions scored again less than a minute later and went on to beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 on Thursday.
"I saw the shot all the way and I wanted to grab it," Malhotra said. "But I didn't get enough of it, obviously."
Obviously.
Detroit coach Mike Babcock certainly wasn't going to apologize for the fortunate break that proved to be the pivotal moment of the playoff-opening game.
"The way they're playing, everyone is playing goal and trying to block shots," Babcock said. "You can block a lot of shots, but it also ends up going off you sometimes."
Columbus' Ken Hitchcock insisted he doesn't coach his players to do what Malhotra did in front of goalie Steve Mason.
"We've made that mistake before and it cost us the same way," Hitchcock said. "That's an easy, simple save for Mason."
Chris Osgood had to make a diving save 1½ minutes into the game, bailing out a teammate who turned the puck over, and didn't give up a goal in the first period despite facing three power plays and 14 shots.
Mason stopped the first 21 shots he faced before giving up three goals -- two of which he was helpless -- in a five-shot stretch.
The rookie said the series is "absolutely" not over.
"We leave here with it being a game apiece and that will be a good accomplishment," said Mason, who finished with 30 saves.
Game 2 of the first-round series is Saturday night in Detroit.
The Blue Jackets were in control early, easily outshooting the Red Wings and not allowing a second shot until midway through the first period.
Mason turned away each of the 14 shots he faced in the first, and Osgood had 13 saves in the scoreless period.
"From there on it was all downhill," Mason said.
Detroit's Jiri Hudler fired up a restless crowd by scoring midway through the second period.
Undaunted, Columbus scored less than a minute later.
R.J. Umberger made it 1-all at 11:40 of the second period and it wasn't until Malhotra made the gaffe a few minutes later that the Red Wings truly seized the momentum.
Ericsson lifted a shot from above the right circle toward the net, Malhotra stuck out his left glove while standing in front of Mason and the go-ahead goal was in the books.
"This is playoff hockey. This is what happens," Hudler said. "Thank God it went in."
Forty-eight seconds later, Niklas Kronwall gave Detroit a two-goal lead on a shot that Mason never saw -- until it was past him -- because burly forward Johan Franzen was perched in front of him.
Less than three minutes into the third period, Franzen slipped a shot between Mason's right skate and the post to make it 4-1. He scored after two Blue Jackets went after Henrik Zetterberg behind the net.
"The fourth I'd like to have back," Mason said.
Despite the lopsided score, Columbus sounded confident about its chances in the franchise's first playoff series since joining the NHL for the 2000-01 season.
"The one thing that was a bit of a concern was guys being overwhelmed," defenseman Mike Commodore said. "We were in a tough building, but we came out and played on even terms with them.
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Saturday, April 4, 2009
Will Bruins do damage in the playoffs?
A boost to his bank account and a stick to the head couldn't throw Tim Thomas off his game.
One day after signing a four-year, $20 million contract extension and 5½ minutes after being hit in the back of his helmet by Sean Avery, Thomas was mobbed by teammates celebrating the Boston Bruins' 1-0 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday.
The victory clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference for Boston for the first time since 2001-2002. And it may have been a preview of the first playoff round. The Rangers hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
"Obviously, this stuff affects you to a certain point," Thomas said of the contract talks, "but I've been able to put it behind me and just concentrate on hockey."
He did that so well that the Bruins won their sixth straight game - five of them before he signed - and he got his fifth shutout of the season.
Blake Wheeler scored his 21st goal for Boston at 9:04 of the first period and nothing New York did could tie the game.
Then Avery hit Thomas as the goalie was stretching in front of his net during a television timeout with 5:24 left.
"I really like the fact that we kept our composure and got the win," Thomas said. "If you can react and not have it affect your game, then he didn't do his job and it didn't work."
After that, he made a save on a slap shot by Derek Morris on a New York power play and finished with 31 saves.
Thomas did chase Avery to center ice as Avery kept skating with his back to the goalie. He pushed Avery then was hit from behind by New York's Frederik Sjostrom. Thomas turned and swung at Sjostrom before officials separated players.
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stayed out of the action.
Thomas "looks like a pretty strong guy. When he goes after one of our guys, I looked at the bench for the OK," Lundqvist said. "I think he overreacted."
Avery was acquired on waivers by the Rangers on March 3 after being released by Dallas. While with the Stars, he was suspended by the NHL for crude public comments directed toward players dating his former girlfriends.
"I actually like the way he plays around the net. He's tenacious. He gets in right around the crease but he's not actually doing anything illegal," Thomas said, "but there's lines that you can cross and he seems to have a hard time figuring out what those lines are."
Both received two-minute penalties.
The Rangers have three games left and lead Florida, which was idle Saturday and has four games to play, by two points.
"It's a very, very important time right now," Lundqvist said. "We can't beat ourselves (up) very much right now. We're still in the eighth spot."
The victory gave the Bruins 112 points, 10 more than second-place Washington, which was idle. It also improved their record to 51-17-10, matching the fourth-most wins in team history, last achieved in 1992-93.
Thomas kept his shutout alive with an outstanding save midway through the second period. Ryan Callahan shot from about 15 feet, Thomas raised his right arm and the puck bounced off his body at 10:15.
About 8½ minutes later, he made a good glove save on Wade Redden's shot from the right circle.
With 10:10 left in the game, Lauri Korpikoski's shot from the left circle clanged off the post to the right of Thomas. Just 21 seconds later, the Rangers went on a power play when David Krejci was called for holding, but managed just one shot. And Markus Naslund's shot hit a post with just over three minutes left.
Lundqvist also played an outstanding game, but Wheeler's goal was enough to beat New York, which fell to 1-3-1 in its past five games. Defenseman Dennis Wideman passed the puck from the right corner to Wheeler, who connected on a slap shot from 10 feet above the right circle.
"I feel pretty out of place up there, so I was just happy to get the puck off my stick," Wheeler said.
The puck went under Lundqvist's pads.
"I should have gone down and blocked the shot," he said. "I moved for it like the normal pad save. It just took a right turn."
Lundqvist kept the Bruins from extending the lead when he stopped Milan Lucic, skating in alone on him, at 6:52 of the third period.
One day after signing a four-year, $20 million contract extension and 5½ minutes after being hit in the back of his helmet by Sean Avery, Thomas was mobbed by teammates celebrating the Boston Bruins' 1-0 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday.
The victory clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference for Boston for the first time since 2001-2002. And it may have been a preview of the first playoff round. The Rangers hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
"Obviously, this stuff affects you to a certain point," Thomas said of the contract talks, "but I've been able to put it behind me and just concentrate on hockey."
He did that so well that the Bruins won their sixth straight game - five of them before he signed - and he got his fifth shutout of the season.
Blake Wheeler scored his 21st goal for Boston at 9:04 of the first period and nothing New York did could tie the game.
Then Avery hit Thomas as the goalie was stretching in front of his net during a television timeout with 5:24 left.
"I really like the fact that we kept our composure and got the win," Thomas said. "If you can react and not have it affect your game, then he didn't do his job and it didn't work."
After that, he made a save on a slap shot by Derek Morris on a New York power play and finished with 31 saves.
Thomas did chase Avery to center ice as Avery kept skating with his back to the goalie. He pushed Avery then was hit from behind by New York's Frederik Sjostrom. Thomas turned and swung at Sjostrom before officials separated players.
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stayed out of the action.
Thomas "looks like a pretty strong guy. When he goes after one of our guys, I looked at the bench for the OK," Lundqvist said. "I think he overreacted."
Avery was acquired on waivers by the Rangers on March 3 after being released by Dallas. While with the Stars, he was suspended by the NHL for crude public comments directed toward players dating his former girlfriends.
"I actually like the way he plays around the net. He's tenacious. He gets in right around the crease but he's not actually doing anything illegal," Thomas said, "but there's lines that you can cross and he seems to have a hard time figuring out what those lines are."
Both received two-minute penalties.
The Rangers have three games left and lead Florida, which was idle Saturday and has four games to play, by two points.
"It's a very, very important time right now," Lundqvist said. "We can't beat ourselves (up) very much right now. We're still in the eighth spot."
The victory gave the Bruins 112 points, 10 more than second-place Washington, which was idle. It also improved their record to 51-17-10, matching the fourth-most wins in team history, last achieved in 1992-93.
Thomas kept his shutout alive with an outstanding save midway through the second period. Ryan Callahan shot from about 15 feet, Thomas raised his right arm and the puck bounced off his body at 10:15.
About 8½ minutes later, he made a good glove save on Wade Redden's shot from the right circle.
With 10:10 left in the game, Lauri Korpikoski's shot from the left circle clanged off the post to the right of Thomas. Just 21 seconds later, the Rangers went on a power play when David Krejci was called for holding, but managed just one shot. And Markus Naslund's shot hit a post with just over three minutes left.
Lundqvist also played an outstanding game, but Wheeler's goal was enough to beat New York, which fell to 1-3-1 in its past five games. Defenseman Dennis Wideman passed the puck from the right corner to Wheeler, who connected on a slap shot from 10 feet above the right circle.
"I feel pretty out of place up there, so I was just happy to get the puck off my stick," Wheeler said.
The puck went under Lundqvist's pads.
"I should have gone down and blocked the shot," he said. "I moved for it like the normal pad save. It just took a right turn."
Lundqvist kept the Bruins from extending the lead when he stopped Milan Lucic, skating in alone on him, at 6:52 of the third period.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Carter helps Leafs get closer to maybe Tavares???
Criticized by their general manager, the Philadelphia Flyers answered the challenge.
Jeff Carter scored three goals, Danny Briere had a goal and three assists, and the Flyers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-5 on Friday.
Simon Gagne, Randy Jones, Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell also had goals for the Flyers, who passed Carolina for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The top four teams get home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
On Thursday, GM Paul Holmgren made it clear the team's best players had to step up their performance after three losses in four games.
With his sharp words still ringing in their ears, the fired-up Flyers came out strong. Five players scored in the first period as Philadelphia made sure it didn't lose consecutive games to Toronto, which isn't going to the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The Leafs won the first game of the home-and-home series 3-2 Wednesday night.
"We were sitting comfortably in fourth place and sometimes you lose that intensity," Briere said. "That was a wake-up call and we responded."
Carter's first NHL hat trick gave him 44 goals. Only Washington's Alex Ovechkin has more this season.
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Luke Schenn, Boyd Devereaux and Mikhail Grabovski scored for the Leafs in the last four minutes of the second period to cut a 6-0 deficit in half. Nikolai Kulemin and Jamal Mayers also had goals for Toronto.
"We had some guys who basically mailed it in tonight and didn't want to compete," Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. "We knew that they would come hard."
The Flyers scored three times in a span of 4:38 to take a 3-0 lead. Jones got the first one on a backhander after the rebound from Briere's shot kicked right to him inside the left circle.
Briere helped set up the next goal by speeding up ice and sending a perfect crossing pass to the streaking Arron Asham, who quickly pushed the puck to Giroux. The rookie forward deked goalie Martin Gerber with a nifty fake and scored his eighth goal.
Gagne scored his 32nd goal on a power play, firing a slap shot from the slot through a screen. That was it for Gerber. He was replaced by Curtis Joseph after allowing three goals on nine shots. Joseph wasn't much better. He gave up two goals on five shots and returned to the bench for the start of the second period.
"It feels like playing soccer, the net keeps getting bigger and bigger, but you never know, you try to keep it close," Gerber said.
Hartnell made it 4-0 with his 30th goal later in the first. Carter scored on a breakaway 1:27 after that.
"Obviously, Homer said we needed to play better," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "It was a wake-up call."
With the son of one of the notorious Hanson brothers from the movie Slap Shot making his NHL debut, this briefly turned into a boxing match. Two fights broke out in the final minute of the first period, but the fisticuffs didn't carry over.
Christian Hanson, the son of Dave from movie fame, played his first game for the Leafs after signing a two-year deal on Tuesday. His father sat in the stands and drew loud applause when he was introduced in the third period.
Schenn's wrist shot from just inside the blue line started Toronto's comeback attempt. Devereaux scored on a one-timer 97 seconds later. Grabovski got a long rebound and slapped it past Martin Biron to cut the deficit in half.
But Carter scored early in the third and the Leafs couldn't get within two goals.
"I've had a lot of two-goal games. I'm just happy to get it out of the way," Carter said of his hat trick.
Jeff Carter scored three goals, Danny Briere had a goal and three assists, and the Flyers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-5 on Friday.
Simon Gagne, Randy Jones, Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell also had goals for the Flyers, who passed Carolina for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The top four teams get home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
On Thursday, GM Paul Holmgren made it clear the team's best players had to step up their performance after three losses in four games.
With his sharp words still ringing in their ears, the fired-up Flyers came out strong. Five players scored in the first period as Philadelphia made sure it didn't lose consecutive games to Toronto, which isn't going to the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The Leafs won the first game of the home-and-home series 3-2 Wednesday night.
"We were sitting comfortably in fourth place and sometimes you lose that intensity," Briere said. "That was a wake-up call and we responded."
Carter's first NHL hat trick gave him 44 goals. Only Washington's Alex Ovechkin has more this season.
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Luke Schenn, Boyd Devereaux and Mikhail Grabovski scored for the Leafs in the last four minutes of the second period to cut a 6-0 deficit in half. Nikolai Kulemin and Jamal Mayers also had goals for Toronto.
"We had some guys who basically mailed it in tonight and didn't want to compete," Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. "We knew that they would come hard."
The Flyers scored three times in a span of 4:38 to take a 3-0 lead. Jones got the first one on a backhander after the rebound from Briere's shot kicked right to him inside the left circle.
Briere helped set up the next goal by speeding up ice and sending a perfect crossing pass to the streaking Arron Asham, who quickly pushed the puck to Giroux. The rookie forward deked goalie Martin Gerber with a nifty fake and scored his eighth goal.
Gagne scored his 32nd goal on a power play, firing a slap shot from the slot through a screen. That was it for Gerber. He was replaced by Curtis Joseph after allowing three goals on nine shots. Joseph wasn't much better. He gave up two goals on five shots and returned to the bench for the start of the second period.
"It feels like playing soccer, the net keeps getting bigger and bigger, but you never know, you try to keep it close," Gerber said.
Hartnell made it 4-0 with his 30th goal later in the first. Carter scored on a breakaway 1:27 after that.
"Obviously, Homer said we needed to play better," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "It was a wake-up call."
With the son of one of the notorious Hanson brothers from the movie Slap Shot making his NHL debut, this briefly turned into a boxing match. Two fights broke out in the final minute of the first period, but the fisticuffs didn't carry over.
Christian Hanson, the son of Dave from movie fame, played his first game for the Leafs after signing a two-year deal on Tuesday. His father sat in the stands and drew loud applause when he was introduced in the third period.
Schenn's wrist shot from just inside the blue line started Toronto's comeback attempt. Devereaux scored on a one-timer 97 seconds later. Grabovski got a long rebound and slapped it past Martin Biron to cut the deficit in half.
But Carter scored early in the third and the Leafs couldn't get within two goals.
"I've had a lot of two-goal games. I'm just happy to get it out of the way," Carter said of his hat trick.
Sheff back in NY, Good or Bad???
Gary Sheffield plans to go for No. 500 with the New York Mets.
One home run shy of the milestone, Sheffield reached a contract agreement with New York on Friday, three days after he was released by the Detroit Tigers in a surprising move.
Just hours before opening their beaming new ballpark Friday night with an exhibition game against Boston, the Mets made another splash by acquiring the outspoken Sheffield. He is expected to be in New York on Saturday and the deal is contingent on him passing a physical, general manager Omar Minaya said.
The Mets get Gary Sheffield, who is one HR shy of 500, for $400K. (Getty Images)
"Gary gives us another element in the lineup and he gives us a different intensity, just because of the competitive guy that he is," Minaya said at Citi Field.
The 40-year-old slugger provides the Mets with a right-handed power bat, something they need to help balance the batting order. But his role on the team will be tricky: New York was already set at the corner outfield spots with Ryan Church in right and Daniel Murphy in left -- both left-handed hitters.
Mets manager Jerry Manuel said the team would give Sheffield time to get in shape to play the outfield, which he hasn't done regularly since getting hurt in 2006. Once he shows he's ready, Sheffield will probably see action in right, Manuel said.
"What this does for us, it really creates some depth in the team," Manuel said. "I believe that in the course of 162 regular-season games, depth is the one thing that is normally overlooked."
Manuel spoke to Sheffield and explained exactly what sort of role he envisions for the nine-time All-Star.
"If he can be close to something that he's been, that could be a tremendous, tremendous help," Manuel said. "He lengthens us out a bit with presence."
Church seemed comfortable with the move, too.
"He's more than welcome. He's a great player. He's just another piece for us," Church said. "I can't control what they do."
Sheffield is one big swing from becoming the 25th player to reach 500 home runs. The Tigers will have to pay $13.6 million of his $14 million contract this year while the Mets get him for the major league minimum of $400,000.
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Minaya said Sheffield has always wanted to play for the Mets ever since his uncle, Dwight Gooden, was a star pitcher for them in the 1980s and 90s. Sheffield played across town with the Yankees from 2004-06, putting up two big seasons followed by an injury-shortened one before he was traded to the Tigers.
Sheffield was Detroit's designated hitter before he was released. Shoulder injuries and other problems limited him to 114 games and a .225 average with 19 homers and 57 RBI last season. He hit .178 with five homers in 45 spring training at-bats this year.
When the Tigers released him, they said it was because they wanted to be a more versatile team. Now back in the National League, Sheffield will have to readjust to playing the field. How well he can do that remains to be seen.
"It's good. I hope he comes in with a good attitude," Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado said. "I'm sure he wants to prove to people that he can play."
Philadelphia, the Mets' biggest rival in the NL East, expressed interest in Sheffield soon after he was cut. The Phillies also could use a right-handed bat.
Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker, a longtime friend, called Sheffield to offer a part-time role with the Reds.
"Sheff just called me, too, left me a message," Baker said Friday in Zebulon, N.C., before the Reds' exhibition game against a collection of their top minor leaguers. "He told me he was going to sign with the Mets because he has a home in New York. He thought that was the best situation for him. I'm glad for him, and sad for us because I know him personally."
The addition of Sheffield could mean Marlon Anderson's days with the Mets are numbered. A pinch-hitting specialist, he batted .210 with a homer and 10 RBI last year.
Sheffield has also played for Milwaukee, San Diego, Florida, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta. He is a .292 lifetime hitter and ranks 27th on the career list with 1,633 RBI.
"He'll be a great asset. He plays hard every day," Delgado said.
One home run shy of the milestone, Sheffield reached a contract agreement with New York on Friday, three days after he was released by the Detroit Tigers in a surprising move.
Just hours before opening their beaming new ballpark Friday night with an exhibition game against Boston, the Mets made another splash by acquiring the outspoken Sheffield. He is expected to be in New York on Saturday and the deal is contingent on him passing a physical, general manager Omar Minaya said.
The Mets get Gary Sheffield, who is one HR shy of 500, for $400K. (Getty Images)
"Gary gives us another element in the lineup and he gives us a different intensity, just because of the competitive guy that he is," Minaya said at Citi Field.
The 40-year-old slugger provides the Mets with a right-handed power bat, something they need to help balance the batting order. But his role on the team will be tricky: New York was already set at the corner outfield spots with Ryan Church in right and Daniel Murphy in left -- both left-handed hitters.
Mets manager Jerry Manuel said the team would give Sheffield time to get in shape to play the outfield, which he hasn't done regularly since getting hurt in 2006. Once he shows he's ready, Sheffield will probably see action in right, Manuel said.
"What this does for us, it really creates some depth in the team," Manuel said. "I believe that in the course of 162 regular-season games, depth is the one thing that is normally overlooked."
Manuel spoke to Sheffield and explained exactly what sort of role he envisions for the nine-time All-Star.
"If he can be close to something that he's been, that could be a tremendous, tremendous help," Manuel said. "He lengthens us out a bit with presence."
Church seemed comfortable with the move, too.
"He's more than welcome. He's a great player. He's just another piece for us," Church said. "I can't control what they do."
Sheffield is one big swing from becoming the 25th player to reach 500 home runs. The Tigers will have to pay $13.6 million of his $14 million contract this year while the Mets get him for the major league minimum of $400,000.
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Minaya said Sheffield has always wanted to play for the Mets ever since his uncle, Dwight Gooden, was a star pitcher for them in the 1980s and 90s. Sheffield played across town with the Yankees from 2004-06, putting up two big seasons followed by an injury-shortened one before he was traded to the Tigers.
Sheffield was Detroit's designated hitter before he was released. Shoulder injuries and other problems limited him to 114 games and a .225 average with 19 homers and 57 RBI last season. He hit .178 with five homers in 45 spring training at-bats this year.
When the Tigers released him, they said it was because they wanted to be a more versatile team. Now back in the National League, Sheffield will have to readjust to playing the field. How well he can do that remains to be seen.
"It's good. I hope he comes in with a good attitude," Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado said. "I'm sure he wants to prove to people that he can play."
Philadelphia, the Mets' biggest rival in the NL East, expressed interest in Sheffield soon after he was cut. The Phillies also could use a right-handed bat.
Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker, a longtime friend, called Sheffield to offer a part-time role with the Reds.
"Sheff just called me, too, left me a message," Baker said Friday in Zebulon, N.C., before the Reds' exhibition game against a collection of their top minor leaguers. "He told me he was going to sign with the Mets because he has a home in New York. He thought that was the best situation for him. I'm glad for him, and sad for us because I know him personally."
The addition of Sheffield could mean Marlon Anderson's days with the Mets are numbered. A pinch-hitting specialist, he batted .210 with a homer and 10 RBI last year.
Sheffield has also played for Milwaukee, San Diego, Florida, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta. He is a .292 lifetime hitter and ranks 27th on the career list with 1,633 RBI.
"He'll be a great asset. He plays hard every day," Delgado said.
Cutler worth what the Bears traded for him??
Jay Cutler got his wish Thursday: a ticket out of Denver. And the Chicago Bears have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades.
The Broncos on Thursday traded their disgruntled Pro Bowl passer to the Bears, who've gone through a bevy of quarterbacks without much success ever since Jim McMahon was calling plays in the 1980s.
The Broncos get quarterback Kyle Orton in return, along with two first-round draft picks and a third-rounder.
The Broncos get the Bears' top pick in this year's draft, which is No. 18 overall, and Chicago's first-rounder in 2010, along with a third-round selection this year (No. 84 overall). Denver also gave up a fifth-rounder this year.
Calls to Cutler's agent, Bus Cook, went unanswered. His office in Hattiesberg, Miss., was closed because of bad weather and his home phone had a message asking callers to call back later. An e-mail sent by the Associated Press wasn't returned.
Cutler asked for a trade last month after his relationship with Josh McDaniels soured when the new 32-year-old coach talked to other teams about trading him. Cutler and his agent didn't think McDaniels was upfront with them about the trade talks.
Two meetings designed to clear the air only raised Cutler's level of distrust. Still, McDaniels insisted over and over that Cutler was his guy and he said at last week's NFL owners meetings that he would do everything he could to repair their relationship.
When the rocket-armed but thin-skinned passer didn't return the Broncos' phone calls, however, team owner Pat Bowlen said enough was enough. On Tuesday night, he announced he had given his new brain trust of McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders the go-ahead to seek a trade for the quarterback who made the Pro Bowl in just his second season as a starter.
Now, the Bears have a top quarterback, albeit one with baggage.
"I don't have any concerns," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "[Coach Lovie Smith] and I talked about that. We did, like a lot of people who were interested in Jay, a lot of work going back to not just when he was with Denver but going back to his days at Vanderbilt."
Angelo said area scout Rex Hogan lives in the Nashville area and developed a "great rapport" with Cutler coming out of Vanderbilt in 2006.
"We felt that [Cutler] is a very good person, a good leader," Angelo said. "He had some things that happened in Denver. We recognized those, but we treated them as just speed bumps, part of the growing process. He's highly competitive, he's highly emotional. That just comes with the territory."
Although Cutler is 17-20 as a starter, he's been victimized by dismal defenses in Denver, and he was an impressive 13-1 when the Broncos held opponents to 21 points or fewer.
Last year, Cutler threw for a franchise record 4,526 yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. In his 37-game career in Denver, he completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 9,024 yards, 54 TDs and 37 interceptions.
Although he was prone to mistakes, his bold and at times risky play wasn't just tolerated but encouraged by former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who would often laud Cutler for not just dumping off short passes to pad his statistics but instead dared to go downfield, even into coverage. He said that trait would make him great one day.
Cutler's inability to quickly fulfill that forecast cost Shanahan his job on Dec. 30 after the Broncos missed the playoffs for the third straight year.
Cutler wasn't happy about Shanahan's firing. And he was upset when his position coach, Jeremy Bates, bolted for Southern Cal because McDaniels will be the one calling plays in Denver now.
When he hired McDaniels, Bowlen proclaimed that Cutler "is the man around here, now."
That didn't last long.
Cutler started to get over Shanahan's dismissal and Bates' departure and he told McDaniels in February he was eager to learn his new offense. But that all changed on Feb. 28, when Cutler learned McDaniels had talked about trading him to Tampa Bay in a three-way deal that would have brought McDaniels' protege, Matt Cassel, from New England to Denver.
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McDaniels had tutored Cassel, who led New England to an 11-5 record after Tom Brady suffered a season-ending injury in the opener last year.
That sent McDaniels' stock soaring and landed him in Denver as Shanahan's successor.
It seemed like the perfect match: the rocket-armed passer meets the offensive guru.
But McDaniels' dalliance with his former pupil blew up in his face when he didn't clue in Cutler, and now McDaniels begins his era in Denver by chasing off his 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback -- and he'll have to face Cassel twice a year because the Patriots ended up sending his protege to Kansas City instead.
As for Cutler, he won't have to ditch his West Coast style for the intricate Patriots-style offense.
He might be going to one of the teams he rooted for as a kid growing up in Santa Claus, Ind., but he's also leaving a great pocket of protection in Denver, where left tackle Ryan Clady is considered the best young tackle in the game, and a great bunch of receivers led by fellow Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal. Behind young tackles Clady and Ryan Harris, Cutler's offensive line allowed just a dozen sacks.
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The Bears, however, signed free-agent left tackle Orlando Pace on Thursday.
Denver now has Orton, fellow newcomer Chris Simms and Darrell Hackney at quarterback.
Simms, who signed a two-year, $6 million free agent deal ostensibly to serve as Cutler's backup, has thrown just two passes since undergoing emergency surgery to remove his spleen after a game in 2006. Hackney's next NFL pass will be his first.
Angelo made it clear in December, after his team went 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year -- that solidifying the quarterback spot was his top priority. Now, he has a Pro Bowl QB.
"When you just look at the history of the league, I can't recall a situation quite like this," Angelo said. "All we did was react to a situation that we felt affected our football team."
Orton threw for 2,972 yards while completing 272 of 465 passes and throwing more touchdowns (18) than interceptions (12) after beating out Rex Grossman for the starting job. But he wasn't the same after being carted off the field with a sprained ankle against Detroit midway through the season.
Orton went from throwing a club record 205 passes without an interception to throwing eight in four games before a strong finish in the finale.
"I don't want to make anybody think that we didn't have respect for Kyle, because we did," Angelo said. "I feel what really facilitated this trade was Kyle was part of it. I think the draft compensation, given what I was to understand, was very similar to other teams. But they liked Kyle Orton and that was part of it. And I could see why they liked Kyle."
The Bears will get a great but often petulant passer who is going from the long shadow of John Elway in Denver to the Windy City, where he'll be under just as much scrutiny.
Cutler is halfway through the six-year, $48 million contract he signed as the 11th overall pick out of Vanderbilt in the 2006 draft. His salary cap number for next season is just over $1 million.
Although he probably won't play in the game, the Bears visit the Broncos for an exhibition on Aug. 30
The Broncos on Thursday traded their disgruntled Pro Bowl passer to the Bears, who've gone through a bevy of quarterbacks without much success ever since Jim McMahon was calling plays in the 1980s.
The Broncos get quarterback Kyle Orton in return, along with two first-round draft picks and a third-rounder.
The Broncos get the Bears' top pick in this year's draft, which is No. 18 overall, and Chicago's first-rounder in 2010, along with a third-round selection this year (No. 84 overall). Denver also gave up a fifth-rounder this year.
Calls to Cutler's agent, Bus Cook, went unanswered. His office in Hattiesberg, Miss., was closed because of bad weather and his home phone had a message asking callers to call back later. An e-mail sent by the Associated Press wasn't returned.
Cutler asked for a trade last month after his relationship with Josh McDaniels soured when the new 32-year-old coach talked to other teams about trading him. Cutler and his agent didn't think McDaniels was upfront with them about the trade talks.
Two meetings designed to clear the air only raised Cutler's level of distrust. Still, McDaniels insisted over and over that Cutler was his guy and he said at last week's NFL owners meetings that he would do everything he could to repair their relationship.
When the rocket-armed but thin-skinned passer didn't return the Broncos' phone calls, however, team owner Pat Bowlen said enough was enough. On Tuesday night, he announced he had given his new brain trust of McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders the go-ahead to seek a trade for the quarterback who made the Pro Bowl in just his second season as a starter.
Now, the Bears have a top quarterback, albeit one with baggage.
"I don't have any concerns," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "[Coach Lovie Smith] and I talked about that. We did, like a lot of people who were interested in Jay, a lot of work going back to not just when he was with Denver but going back to his days at Vanderbilt."
Angelo said area scout Rex Hogan lives in the Nashville area and developed a "great rapport" with Cutler coming out of Vanderbilt in 2006.
"We felt that [Cutler] is a very good person, a good leader," Angelo said. "He had some things that happened in Denver. We recognized those, but we treated them as just speed bumps, part of the growing process. He's highly competitive, he's highly emotional. That just comes with the territory."
Although Cutler is 17-20 as a starter, he's been victimized by dismal defenses in Denver, and he was an impressive 13-1 when the Broncos held opponents to 21 points or fewer.
Last year, Cutler threw for a franchise record 4,526 yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. In his 37-game career in Denver, he completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 9,024 yards, 54 TDs and 37 interceptions.
Although he was prone to mistakes, his bold and at times risky play wasn't just tolerated but encouraged by former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who would often laud Cutler for not just dumping off short passes to pad his statistics but instead dared to go downfield, even into coverage. He said that trait would make him great one day.
Cutler's inability to quickly fulfill that forecast cost Shanahan his job on Dec. 30 after the Broncos missed the playoffs for the third straight year.
Cutler wasn't happy about Shanahan's firing. And he was upset when his position coach, Jeremy Bates, bolted for Southern Cal because McDaniels will be the one calling plays in Denver now.
When he hired McDaniels, Bowlen proclaimed that Cutler "is the man around here, now."
That didn't last long.
Cutler started to get over Shanahan's dismissal and Bates' departure and he told McDaniels in February he was eager to learn his new offense. But that all changed on Feb. 28, when Cutler learned McDaniels had talked about trading him to Tampa Bay in a three-way deal that would have brought McDaniels' protege, Matt Cassel, from New England to Denver.
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McDaniels had tutored Cassel, who led New England to an 11-5 record after Tom Brady suffered a season-ending injury in the opener last year.
That sent McDaniels' stock soaring and landed him in Denver as Shanahan's successor.
It seemed like the perfect match: the rocket-armed passer meets the offensive guru.
But McDaniels' dalliance with his former pupil blew up in his face when he didn't clue in Cutler, and now McDaniels begins his era in Denver by chasing off his 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback -- and he'll have to face Cassel twice a year because the Patriots ended up sending his protege to Kansas City instead.
As for Cutler, he won't have to ditch his West Coast style for the intricate Patriots-style offense.
He might be going to one of the teams he rooted for as a kid growing up in Santa Claus, Ind., but he's also leaving a great pocket of protection in Denver, where left tackle Ryan Clady is considered the best young tackle in the game, and a great bunch of receivers led by fellow Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal. Behind young tackles Clady and Ryan Harris, Cutler's offensive line allowed just a dozen sacks.
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The Bears, however, signed free-agent left tackle Orlando Pace on Thursday.
Denver now has Orton, fellow newcomer Chris Simms and Darrell Hackney at quarterback.
Simms, who signed a two-year, $6 million free agent deal ostensibly to serve as Cutler's backup, has thrown just two passes since undergoing emergency surgery to remove his spleen after a game in 2006. Hackney's next NFL pass will be his first.
Angelo made it clear in December, after his team went 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year -- that solidifying the quarterback spot was his top priority. Now, he has a Pro Bowl QB.
"When you just look at the history of the league, I can't recall a situation quite like this," Angelo said. "All we did was react to a situation that we felt affected our football team."
Orton threw for 2,972 yards while completing 272 of 465 passes and throwing more touchdowns (18) than interceptions (12) after beating out Rex Grossman for the starting job. But he wasn't the same after being carted off the field with a sprained ankle against Detroit midway through the season.
Orton went from throwing a club record 205 passes without an interception to throwing eight in four games before a strong finish in the finale.
"I don't want to make anybody think that we didn't have respect for Kyle, because we did," Angelo said. "I feel what really facilitated this trade was Kyle was part of it. I think the draft compensation, given what I was to understand, was very similar to other teams. But they liked Kyle Orton and that was part of it. And I could see why they liked Kyle."
The Bears will get a great but often petulant passer who is going from the long shadow of John Elway in Denver to the Windy City, where he'll be under just as much scrutiny.
Cutler is halfway through the six-year, $48 million contract he signed as the 11th overall pick out of Vanderbilt in the 2006 draft. His salary cap number for next season is just over $1 million.
Although he probably won't play in the game, the Bears visit the Broncos for an exhibition on Aug. 30
Vick trying to skip out on his bills???
A judge rejected Michael Vick's plan to emerge from bankruptcy on Friday, telling the suspended NFL star to come up with a better way to pay back his creditors.
The former Atlanta Falcons franchise quarterback, who is serving a 23-month prison sentence for bankrolling a dogfighting operation, had outlined a plan during a hearing Friday based on the goal of returning to NFL football. Vick said he's optimistic about being reinstated after he is released from prison and that he believes he can play pro football for another 10 years.
But Judge Frank Santoro said there is no guarantee the league will have the 28-year-old player back, and suggested he start on a new plan by considering liquidating one of his two Virginia homes and three cars he had planned to to keep.
The judge said it was commendable that Vick wanted to take charge of his finances by himself, but said it had taken months of accountants, trustees and lawyers working to unravel his assets in the first place.
"No one is good at everything, but the fact, Mr. Vick, is you are perhaps extraordinary at your chosen profession, but that does not translate into financial sophistication," Santoro said.
Santoro didn't set a deadline for a new filing. A status hearing is the case is scheduled for April 28.
Earlier in the hearing, Vick told Santoro that his time in prison gave him time to think about the "heinous" act he committed, and he's realized he needs to make some changes.
"I can't live like the old Mike Vick," he told a courtroom filled with his family, friends and fiancee. "I was very immature. I did a lot of things I wasn't supposed to do being a role model."
In prison, he has filled his days by reading, writing, playing basketball and working a 12-cent-an-hour job as a janitor, he said. The experience has given him a chance to develop what he called "an exit strategy."
Vick was once one of the NFL's highest-paid players, but lavish spending and poor investments, coupled with the backlash from his dogfighting case, led to his downfall. Vick filed for bankruptcy in July claiming assets of $16 million and debts of more than $20 million.
Before rejecting Vick's plan, Santoro asked him how many more years he thinks he could play in the NFL, and he said he thinks he has another decade on the field if he's reinstated.
"If I keep my body in shape, and do the right things, I think I have maybe 10 or 12 more years in my career," Vick said.
Vick is expected to be released from custody in July, and traveled from a federal prison in Kansas to attend the hearing. He could be transferred to home confinement at his eastern Virginia home by late May, and his agent testified Thursday that he hopes Vick can return to the NFL by September.
The former Atlanta Falcons franchise quarterback, who is serving a 23-month prison sentence for bankrolling a dogfighting operation, had outlined a plan during a hearing Friday based on the goal of returning to NFL football. Vick said he's optimistic about being reinstated after he is released from prison and that he believes he can play pro football for another 10 years.
But Judge Frank Santoro said there is no guarantee the league will have the 28-year-old player back, and suggested he start on a new plan by considering liquidating one of his two Virginia homes and three cars he had planned to to keep.
The judge said it was commendable that Vick wanted to take charge of his finances by himself, but said it had taken months of accountants, trustees and lawyers working to unravel his assets in the first place.
"No one is good at everything, but the fact, Mr. Vick, is you are perhaps extraordinary at your chosen profession, but that does not translate into financial sophistication," Santoro said.
Santoro didn't set a deadline for a new filing. A status hearing is the case is scheduled for April 28.
Earlier in the hearing, Vick told Santoro that his time in prison gave him time to think about the "heinous" act he committed, and he's realized he needs to make some changes.
"I can't live like the old Mike Vick," he told a courtroom filled with his family, friends and fiancee. "I was very immature. I did a lot of things I wasn't supposed to do being a role model."
In prison, he has filled his days by reading, writing, playing basketball and working a 12-cent-an-hour job as a janitor, he said. The experience has given him a chance to develop what he called "an exit strategy."
Vick was once one of the NFL's highest-paid players, but lavish spending and poor investments, coupled with the backlash from his dogfighting case, led to his downfall. Vick filed for bankruptcy in July claiming assets of $16 million and debts of more than $20 million.
Before rejecting Vick's plan, Santoro asked him how many more years he thinks he could play in the NFL, and he said he thinks he has another decade on the field if he's reinstated.
"If I keep my body in shape, and do the right things, I think I have maybe 10 or 12 more years in my career," Vick said.
Vick is expected to be released from custody in July, and traveled from a federal prison in Kansas to attend the hearing. He could be transferred to home confinement at his eastern Virginia home by late May, and his agent testified Thursday that he hopes Vick can return to the NFL by September.
Who would you pick for Team USA coach???
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson is reportedly in line for another job, as the man behind the United States bench at next year's Olympic games in Vancouver.
Several reports citing unidentified sources Friday said the American coach would be Wilson, whose greatest accomplishment on the international stage was coaching the U.S. team to the title at the 1996 World Cup.
An official announcement won't be made by USA Hockey until Monday.
Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke holds the same position for the U.S. Olympic hockey team, making the selection of Wilson a logical choice. Burke and Wilson were also teammates at Providence College.
Wilson neither confirmed nor denied the reports on Friday prior to the Leafs game against Philadelphia
Several reports citing unidentified sources Friday said the American coach would be Wilson, whose greatest accomplishment on the international stage was coaching the U.S. team to the title at the 1996 World Cup.
An official announcement won't be made by USA Hockey until Monday.
Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke holds the same position for the U.S. Olympic hockey team, making the selection of Wilson a logical choice. Burke and Wilson were also teammates at Providence College.
Wilson neither confirmed nor denied the reports on Friday prior to the Leafs game against Philadelphia
What are the Giants gonna do now with no passing Game???
The New York Giants released Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress on Friday, a little more than four months after the talented but troubled wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the thigh in a New York City nightclub.
Burress' four-year tenure with the Giants was highlighted by a game-winning touchdown catch in the Super Bowl against the previously undefeated New England Patriots in February 2008, but it was also dogged by fines and suspensions.
Burress' status has been uncertain since he shot himself in the thigh on Nov. 29 with an unlicensed gun he'd stuffed into his waistband. He faces a felony weapons charge that could put him in prison for at least 3½ years if convicted.
Burress' case was adjourned Tuesday while his attorneys and prosecutors worked on a possible plea agreement. He is due back in court June 15.
The 31-year-old, who was suspended by the Giants for the final four weeks of the season for conduct detrimental to the team and fined after the shooting, also faces possible NFL sanctions for violating its personal conduct policy.
The delay in ending the court case this week appeared to play a role in the Giants' decision.
"I am an optimist, and I believe most situations can be worked out," general manager Jerry Reese said in announcing the decision. "We hung in there as long as we could in hopes that there could be a resolution to this situation other than the decision we made today to release Plaxico.
"It wasn't to be, so now we have to move on. Like everybody else here, we want nothing but the best for Plaxico, and we are appreciative of the contributions he made to this franchise."
The decision to release Burress might lead the Giants to look for a deep threat receiver in the draft later this month. The only player currently on the roster who might fill that role is Mario Manningham, a second-year player out of Michigan who did little in an injury-plagued rookie season. Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon have shown the ability to be a deep threat on occasion, but neither is as consistent as Burress at stretching a defense.
Burress caught 344 passes with the Giants, which places him 12th on the franchise's career list, one catch ahead of Earnest Gray and three behind Aaron Thomas. Burress had 3,681 receiving yards and caught 33 touchdown passes for the Giants.
Burress' Giants teammates had been supportive about his possible return. The Giants lost four of their final five games after Burress was suspended and placed on the non-football injury list, meaning he also could not appear in the playoffs.
The Giants finished 12-5, losing at home in the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles. New York lost four of its final five games without Burress, who provided the Giants with their lone deep threat.
"Plaxico's contribution to our championship season in 2007 can never be underestimated or undervalued," coach Tom Coughlin said. "He displayed tremendous determination throughout that season. Having said that, I have always been as concerned about Plaxico as a man as I have been about him as a player, and my hope is that everything that has happened over the past several months represents a turning point
Burress' four-year tenure with the Giants was highlighted by a game-winning touchdown catch in the Super Bowl against the previously undefeated New England Patriots in February 2008, but it was also dogged by fines and suspensions.
Burress' status has been uncertain since he shot himself in the thigh on Nov. 29 with an unlicensed gun he'd stuffed into his waistband. He faces a felony weapons charge that could put him in prison for at least 3½ years if convicted.
Burress' case was adjourned Tuesday while his attorneys and prosecutors worked on a possible plea agreement. He is due back in court June 15.
The 31-year-old, who was suspended by the Giants for the final four weeks of the season for conduct detrimental to the team and fined after the shooting, also faces possible NFL sanctions for violating its personal conduct policy.
The delay in ending the court case this week appeared to play a role in the Giants' decision.
"I am an optimist, and I believe most situations can be worked out," general manager Jerry Reese said in announcing the decision. "We hung in there as long as we could in hopes that there could be a resolution to this situation other than the decision we made today to release Plaxico.
"It wasn't to be, so now we have to move on. Like everybody else here, we want nothing but the best for Plaxico, and we are appreciative of the contributions he made to this franchise."
The decision to release Burress might lead the Giants to look for a deep threat receiver in the draft later this month. The only player currently on the roster who might fill that role is Mario Manningham, a second-year player out of Michigan who did little in an injury-plagued rookie season. Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon have shown the ability to be a deep threat on occasion, but neither is as consistent as Burress at stretching a defense.
Burress caught 344 passes with the Giants, which places him 12th on the franchise's career list, one catch ahead of Earnest Gray and three behind Aaron Thomas. Burress had 3,681 receiving yards and caught 33 touchdown passes for the Giants.
Burress' Giants teammates had been supportive about his possible return. The Giants lost four of their final five games after Burress was suspended and placed on the non-football injury list, meaning he also could not appear in the playoffs.
The Giants finished 12-5, losing at home in the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles. New York lost four of its final five games without Burress, who provided the Giants with their lone deep threat.
"Plaxico's contribution to our championship season in 2007 can never be underestimated or undervalued," coach Tom Coughlin said. "He displayed tremendous determination throughout that season. Having said that, I have always been as concerned about Plaxico as a man as I have been about him as a player, and my hope is that everything that has happened over the past several months represents a turning point
This comes at a bad time for the surging Canucks
Canucks forward Taylor Pyatt left the team after his fiancee was killed in a car accident.
Pyatt returned to his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, after Carly Bragnalo was killed Thursday in a crash while vacationing in Jamaica. The couple, both 27, planned to marry this summer.
"Today the Canucks lost a member of our family," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said in a statement released Friday confirming the death. "Carly was a lovely and generous young woman who shared her spirit for life with our players, their spouses and their extended families. We will support the Bragnalo family, Taylor and his entire family in any way we can during this very difficult time.
Pyatt had an assist in Vancouver's 6-5 shootout loss to Anaheim on Thursday, giving the soft-spoken 6-foot-4 forward 10 goals and 19 points in 69 games this season.
Bragnalo's death is the second tragedy to hit the Canucks in the past year. Defenseman Luc Bourdon died on May 29, 2008, in a motorcycle crash near his New Brunswick home. He was 21.
Pyatt returned to his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, after Carly Bragnalo was killed Thursday in a crash while vacationing in Jamaica. The couple, both 27, planned to marry this summer.
"Today the Canucks lost a member of our family," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said in a statement released Friday confirming the death. "Carly was a lovely and generous young woman who shared her spirit for life with our players, their spouses and their extended families. We will support the Bragnalo family, Taylor and his entire family in any way we can during this very difficult time.
Pyatt had an assist in Vancouver's 6-5 shootout loss to Anaheim on Thursday, giving the soft-spoken 6-foot-4 forward 10 goals and 19 points in 69 games this season.
Bragnalo's death is the second tragedy to hit the Canucks in the past year. Defenseman Luc Bourdon died on May 29, 2008, in a motorcycle crash near his New Brunswick home. He was 21.
Are the Canes and Ward back again for another Title???
They're winning games in bunches, seem unbeatable at home and are looking at an April full of meaningful games. The Carolina Hurricanes are playing like it's 2006 again -- and they don't need to be reminded of what they accomplished back then.
Chad LaRose and Rod Brind'Amour scored 28 seconds apart late in the third period, and the Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 4-2 on Thursday for their club-record 10th straight home victory.
"We've got to keep this train rolling," center Eric Staal said.
LaRose finished with two goals, and Staal had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who extended their season-best winning streak to seven while surpassing the nine consecutive home-ice wins they had in 2005-06 - when they went on to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.
They haven't been to the postseason since. But playing before their rowdiest home crowd since that Cup run, they moved another step closer to wrapping up a playoff berth, jumping past idle Pittsburgh and Philadelphia into fourth place in the East with 93 points.
"We're just trying to get there," coach Paul Maurice said, "and I'm not sure 93 is going to get you there."
Corey Potter and Daniel Girardi scored for the Rangers, who held a 38-23 shots advantage but have lost four of six. The defeat, coupled with Montreal's 5-1 win over the New York Islanders, dropped the Rangers into eighth, two points ahead of idle Florida.
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"We're in the fight for our [playoff] lives right now," center Brandon Dubinsky said. "We've got to get focused on the next one and not sit here and pout or let this one creep into our next game in a negative way. ... Points right now are crucial. We still hold our own fate to get in so we need to make sure we take care of that."
And just when it looked like the Rangers would manage at least one point out of this one, LaRose and Brind'Amour turned a 2-2 game into a comfortable win for Carolina.
"We just tried to wear them down throughout the game and get pucks behind their 'D,' and it worked it our advantage," LaRose said.
LaRose broke a 2-all tie when he took a feed from Jussi Jokinen as he skated across the net and tapped it past Henrik Lundqvist with 7:35 remaining for his 18th goal. The crowd had yet to settle down after that score when Brind'Amour made it a two-goal game by beating Lundqvist with a wrist shot from the left circle.
"The third period, we've talked about it for a while now, making sure we're playing the same way, waiting for our chances, and when we get them, to cash in," Staal said. "We did that in the third."
Cam Ward, making his career-best 25th straight start, improved to 17-6-2 in that stretch by turning aside 36 shots. Lundqvist stopped 19 shots for the Rangers before he was pulled for an extra attacker.
"It could have gone both ways, but [for] a span of 30 seconds," Lundqvist said. "The third goal was a good play by them and a breakdown by us. Then, the fourth one was a fluky goal. They just threw it on net, and I think it hit our guy and it went in."
LaRose briefly put Carolina up 2-1 midway through the second with a pretty tap-in of Ray Whitney's rebound, before Girardi tied it at the 5½-minute mark when he beat Ward with a slap shot on the power play -- only the Rangers' third goal in 34 chances with the man advantage.
Staal gave the Hurricanes an early lead about 4½ minutes in on their first power play -- and just their second shot on goal -- of the night. He unloaded a hard slap shot from behind the circle that appeared to click off younger brother Marc Staal's skate and past Lundqvist for his team-leading 35th goal.
Potter's first career goal tied it with 2½ minutes before the first break, a slap shot from the right point that got past a screened Ward -- who was being pestered by noted antagonist Sean Avery. It was New York's first goal this season in Raleigh; Ward shut them out 3-0 on March 9.
The Rangers controlled much of the early action this time, outshooting Carolina 13-3 largely because the Hurricanes, the NHL's least-penalized team, were whistled four times during an intense, physical opening 20 minutes. But as the Rangers' power-play struggles mounted, so did their frustration, with an agitated Scott Gomez at one point slamming his stick into the ice.
"You get four power plays in the first period, you hope to come out with at least a goal or two," defenseman Paul Mara said. "We didn't do that tonight, and it may have cost us the game."
Chad LaRose and Rod Brind'Amour scored 28 seconds apart late in the third period, and the Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 4-2 on Thursday for their club-record 10th straight home victory.
"We've got to keep this train rolling," center Eric Staal said.
LaRose finished with two goals, and Staal had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who extended their season-best winning streak to seven while surpassing the nine consecutive home-ice wins they had in 2005-06 - when they went on to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.
They haven't been to the postseason since. But playing before their rowdiest home crowd since that Cup run, they moved another step closer to wrapping up a playoff berth, jumping past idle Pittsburgh and Philadelphia into fourth place in the East with 93 points.
"We're just trying to get there," coach Paul Maurice said, "and I'm not sure 93 is going to get you there."
Corey Potter and Daniel Girardi scored for the Rangers, who held a 38-23 shots advantage but have lost four of six. The defeat, coupled with Montreal's 5-1 win over the New York Islanders, dropped the Rangers into eighth, two points ahead of idle Florida.
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"We're in the fight for our [playoff] lives right now," center Brandon Dubinsky said. "We've got to get focused on the next one and not sit here and pout or let this one creep into our next game in a negative way. ... Points right now are crucial. We still hold our own fate to get in so we need to make sure we take care of that."
And just when it looked like the Rangers would manage at least one point out of this one, LaRose and Brind'Amour turned a 2-2 game into a comfortable win for Carolina.
"We just tried to wear them down throughout the game and get pucks behind their 'D,' and it worked it our advantage," LaRose said.
LaRose broke a 2-all tie when he took a feed from Jussi Jokinen as he skated across the net and tapped it past Henrik Lundqvist with 7:35 remaining for his 18th goal. The crowd had yet to settle down after that score when Brind'Amour made it a two-goal game by beating Lundqvist with a wrist shot from the left circle.
"The third period, we've talked about it for a while now, making sure we're playing the same way, waiting for our chances, and when we get them, to cash in," Staal said. "We did that in the third."
Cam Ward, making his career-best 25th straight start, improved to 17-6-2 in that stretch by turning aside 36 shots. Lundqvist stopped 19 shots for the Rangers before he was pulled for an extra attacker.
"It could have gone both ways, but [for] a span of 30 seconds," Lundqvist said. "The third goal was a good play by them and a breakdown by us. Then, the fourth one was a fluky goal. They just threw it on net, and I think it hit our guy and it went in."
LaRose briefly put Carolina up 2-1 midway through the second with a pretty tap-in of Ray Whitney's rebound, before Girardi tied it at the 5½-minute mark when he beat Ward with a slap shot on the power play -- only the Rangers' third goal in 34 chances with the man advantage.
Staal gave the Hurricanes an early lead about 4½ minutes in on their first power play -- and just their second shot on goal -- of the night. He unloaded a hard slap shot from behind the circle that appeared to click off younger brother Marc Staal's skate and past Lundqvist for his team-leading 35th goal.
Potter's first career goal tied it with 2½ minutes before the first break, a slap shot from the right point that got past a screened Ward -- who was being pestered by noted antagonist Sean Avery. It was New York's first goal this season in Raleigh; Ward shut them out 3-0 on March 9.
The Rangers controlled much of the early action this time, outshooting Carolina 13-3 largely because the Hurricanes, the NHL's least-penalized team, were whistled four times during an intense, physical opening 20 minutes. But as the Rangers' power-play struggles mounted, so did their frustration, with an agitated Scott Gomez at one point slamming his stick into the ice.
"You get four power plays in the first period, you hope to come out with at least a goal or two," defenseman Paul Mara said. "We didn't do that tonight, and it may have cost us the game."
Blues and Backes for Real???
Not even David Backes could explain what happened.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound winger scored a career-high four goals, including the go-ahead score with 4:07 left, in the surging St. Louis Blues' 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
"I don't know what happened," said Backes, who also had his first hat trick. "One of those games where you kind of black out and then they're patting you on the back."
Andy McDonald also scored, and Chris Mason made 34 saves to help the Blues jump from ninth to eighth in the Western Conference playoff race. The Blues are a point behind seventh-place Anaheim and one ahead of ninth-place Nashville.
"We just battled in the third period," Mason said. "It was back and forth and we got the two points."
St. Louis rebounded from a 3-1 loss in Chicago on Wednesday night that snapped its winning streak at five games.
Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall each had a goal and two assists and Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen both had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which lost its third straight and fourth in five games. Ty Conklin stopped 28 shots.
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"Obviously, the job I'm doing here, the team is not ready," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "So, myself and the leadership group here, as a group of individuals, we've got to do better than this. This is unacceptable."
Backes broke a 4-4 tie with his 30th goal of the season, scoring on a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle.
"We felt that David had the potential to be a 30-goal scorer," Blues coach Andy Murray said. "But we didn't think it would happen here in Detroit."
Kronwall tied it at 4 with 4:43 left on a slap shot from the point.
Franzen made it 4-3 with a spectacular effort at 3:52. He made a move and jumped around St. Louis defenseman Mike Weaver in the slot, then beat Mason as he was falling to the ice for his 33rd goal.
Lidstrom tied it at 2, with a power-play goal 1:13 into the third period. His 14th goal came on a slap shot from the point.
But Backes' third goal, just 24 seconds later, restored the Blues' one-goal lead. He beat Conklin from the slot after a mix up between Conklin and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson behind the Detroit net.
McDonald's power-play goal 2:53 into the third made it 4-2. He tipped in T.J. Oshie's shot from the point.
"Mad is an interesting word. Frustrated is a waste of time," Babcock said. "I'm just telling you I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in the job I'm getting done here. I'm disappointed in the group right now. This is very un-Red Wing-like."
The Blues took a 2-0 lead in the middle period on Backes' first two goals.
He opened the scoring at 6:02 when he slammed in a one-time shot from the slot off a pass from Brad Winchester, who was behind the net.
Backes' second goal came at 9:26 when he put in a rebound off the back boards.
Datsyuk put Detroit on the board with 5:17 left in the second with his 31st goal. He tipped in Lidstrom's shot from the left point.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound winger scored a career-high four goals, including the go-ahead score with 4:07 left, in the surging St. Louis Blues' 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
"I don't know what happened," said Backes, who also had his first hat trick. "One of those games where you kind of black out and then they're patting you on the back."
Andy McDonald also scored, and Chris Mason made 34 saves to help the Blues jump from ninth to eighth in the Western Conference playoff race. The Blues are a point behind seventh-place Anaheim and one ahead of ninth-place Nashville.
"We just battled in the third period," Mason said. "It was back and forth and we got the two points."
St. Louis rebounded from a 3-1 loss in Chicago on Wednesday night that snapped its winning streak at five games.
Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall each had a goal and two assists and Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen both had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which lost its third straight and fourth in five games. Ty Conklin stopped 28 shots.
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"Obviously, the job I'm doing here, the team is not ready," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "So, myself and the leadership group here, as a group of individuals, we've got to do better than this. This is unacceptable."
Backes broke a 4-4 tie with his 30th goal of the season, scoring on a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle.
"We felt that David had the potential to be a 30-goal scorer," Blues coach Andy Murray said. "But we didn't think it would happen here in Detroit."
Kronwall tied it at 4 with 4:43 left on a slap shot from the point.
Franzen made it 4-3 with a spectacular effort at 3:52. He made a move and jumped around St. Louis defenseman Mike Weaver in the slot, then beat Mason as he was falling to the ice for his 33rd goal.
Lidstrom tied it at 2, with a power-play goal 1:13 into the third period. His 14th goal came on a slap shot from the point.
But Backes' third goal, just 24 seconds later, restored the Blues' one-goal lead. He beat Conklin from the slot after a mix up between Conklin and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson behind the Detroit net.
McDonald's power-play goal 2:53 into the third made it 4-2. He tipped in T.J. Oshie's shot from the point.
"Mad is an interesting word. Frustrated is a waste of time," Babcock said. "I'm just telling you I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in the job I'm getting done here. I'm disappointed in the group right now. This is very un-Red Wing-like."
The Blues took a 2-0 lead in the middle period on Backes' first two goals.
He opened the scoring at 6:02 when he slammed in a one-time shot from the slot off a pass from Brad Winchester, who was behind the net.
Backes' second goal came at 9:26 when he put in a rebound off the back boards.
Datsyuk put Detroit on the board with 5:17 left in the second with his 31st goal. He tipped in Lidstrom's shot from the left point.
Devils better With or Without Brodeur????
Wasn't Martin Brodeur supposed to be the missing piece to the puzzle for the New Jersey Devils?
The game's greatest goalie was like the hero riding back on his white horse after a long injury to lead what was already one of the best teams to even greater heights. The script even had something of a Hollywood-like quality to it because Brodeur notched a shutout after missing 50 games, then set a new career record for wins and closed in on the shutout mark a couple of weeks later.
Coach Brent Sutter knows his team needs to turn it around or 'you'll be done in a week once the playoffs start.' (Getty Images)
You could have been forgiven for thinking the Devils had destiny written all over them. Yet in the aftermath of all the hoopla surrounding Brodeur, New Jersey has come unglued and gone from a team that was a plausible Stanley Cup finalist only a month ago to one that looks like first-round fodder now.
New Jersey did start well after Brodeur returned, going 9-1 in his first 10 starts. The last win actually came after Brodeur set his record, but the Devils have since gone through a noticeable letdown and dropped six in a row. It is their longest losing streak since the turn of the century. It's been ugly, too, with New Jersey getting outscored 22-7 and dominated on both special teams.
Brodeur certainly can't be pinned with all the blame. He has put up decent numbers during the skid while being peppered with nearly 37 shots a night. But the future Hall of Famer hasn't been a game changer of late either for a team that desperately needs one.
He had a chance Wednesday against Pittsburgh in what had to be a statement game for the Devils, who were read the riot act by coach Brent Sutter after losing their previous outing to the Rangers. It was an unusual diatribe for the normally laid-back Sutter, but it had little effect on the Devils, who came out flat against the Penguins and were effectively beaten by the time the first period was over.
Brodeur didn't help matters, allowing two soft early goals. He ended up allowing six goals to the Pittsburgh shooters in an uninspiring performance that underlined many of the team's weaknesses exposed during the skid.
"Two big games we had against rivals and to just not be able to compete with them is not the right way to go into the last part of the season," Brodeur told reporters after the game. "This definitely hits pretty hard."
Especially since it threatens to ruin a season in which New Jersey often seemed motivated to prove wrong the critics who felt they were goners without Brodeur. The Devils actually became one of the surprise teams, winning with a potent attack that overcame the flaws of a soft blue line and a small group of forwards. The irony was, the surge really began when Brodeur went down.
The game's greatest goalie was like the hero riding back on his white horse after a long injury to lead what was already one of the best teams to even greater heights. The script even had something of a Hollywood-like quality to it because Brodeur notched a shutout after missing 50 games, then set a new career record for wins and closed in on the shutout mark a couple of weeks later.
Coach Brent Sutter knows his team needs to turn it around or 'you'll be done in a week once the playoffs start.' (Getty Images)
You could have been forgiven for thinking the Devils had destiny written all over them. Yet in the aftermath of all the hoopla surrounding Brodeur, New Jersey has come unglued and gone from a team that was a plausible Stanley Cup finalist only a month ago to one that looks like first-round fodder now.
New Jersey did start well after Brodeur returned, going 9-1 in his first 10 starts. The last win actually came after Brodeur set his record, but the Devils have since gone through a noticeable letdown and dropped six in a row. It is their longest losing streak since the turn of the century. It's been ugly, too, with New Jersey getting outscored 22-7 and dominated on both special teams.
Brodeur certainly can't be pinned with all the blame. He has put up decent numbers during the skid while being peppered with nearly 37 shots a night. But the future Hall of Famer hasn't been a game changer of late either for a team that desperately needs one.
He had a chance Wednesday against Pittsburgh in what had to be a statement game for the Devils, who were read the riot act by coach Brent Sutter after losing their previous outing to the Rangers. It was an unusual diatribe for the normally laid-back Sutter, but it had little effect on the Devils, who came out flat against the Penguins and were effectively beaten by the time the first period was over.
Brodeur didn't help matters, allowing two soft early goals. He ended up allowing six goals to the Pittsburgh shooters in an uninspiring performance that underlined many of the team's weaknesses exposed during the skid.
"Two big games we had against rivals and to just not be able to compete with them is not the right way to go into the last part of the season," Brodeur told reporters after the game. "This definitely hits pretty hard."
Especially since it threatens to ruin a season in which New Jersey often seemed motivated to prove wrong the critics who felt they were goners without Brodeur. The Devils actually became one of the surprise teams, winning with a potent attack that overcame the flaws of a soft blue line and a small group of forwards. The irony was, the surge really began when Brodeur went down.
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