NHL Blog

Islanders, Devils to play at Brooklyn arena next preseason

January 31, 2012 , ι By RICH CALDER

What a score!The first pro team to break-in Brooklyn’s new arena won’t be the Nets, it’ll be the Islanders. Barclays Center and Islanders officials confirmed Tuesday that the Long Island hockey team... Read on

What a score!
	 
The first pro team to break-in Brooklyn’s new arena won’t be the Nets, it’ll be the Islanders.
	 
Barclays Center and Islanders officials confirmed Tuesday that the Long Island hockey team is set play the first professional game at the arena – and the first NHL game played in Brooklyn – on Oct. 2 when they take on the Devils in a preseason matchup.
	 
The NBA’s Nets, which will call Barclays Center their home next season, aren’t expected to begin playing games there until later that month.
	 
The announcement comes as Islanders and arena officials continue behind-the-scenes talks about the team moving to the Barclays Center after its lease at Nassau Coliseum expires in 2015.
	 
"Our goal has been to bring the best of sports entertainment back to Brooklyn, and it starts with the Nets, but if we can bring the Islanders to Brooklyn that would be great, too," Barclays Center/Nets CEO Brett Yormark told The Post.
	 
"It's a great way to sample the NHL in Brooklyn, and I think the response is going to be overwhelmingly successful."
	 
Islanders general manager Garth Snow in a statement said, "We already have some of the most passionate fans in the league supporting our young team, and we are looking forward to expanding our base into Brooklyn."
	 
As The Post previously reported, the Barclays Center emerged as a possible new home for the Islanders after Nassau County voters in August shot down a referendum to build a new arena for the team.
	 
For years, Barclays Center officials claimed the arena would be too small for pro hockey. But in August they confirmed the arena would be fitted with an NHL-regulation rink.
	 
The arena holds 18,000 seats for basketball, and officials said it could hold about 14,500 seats for hockey. The NHL said it doesn't have a minimum-seating requirement for arenas its teams play in.
	 
The smallest seating capacity for an NHL team is 15,015 at the MTS Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, home to the Winnipeg Jets.
	 
Nassau Coliseum seats 16,234, but the Islanders averaged 11,059 fans per game last season, worst in the NHL.
	 
Barclays Center is set to open Sept. 28 with the first of multiple concerts by Jay-Z, a part owner of the Nets.

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Devils assign Josefson, Taormina to Albany

January 26, 2012 , ι POST STAFF REPORT

Devils center Jacob Josefson and defenseman Matt Taormina were assigned to Albany of the AHL by on Thursday. The move could be designed to get both more playing time during the NHL’s All-Star break.... Read on

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Rangers coach gets Alfredsson as All-Star captain

January 20, 2012 , ι AP

Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara will see some familiar faces behind the bench at the NHL All-Star Game. Claude Julien and his Boston staff will handle coaching duties for Chara’s team at the league’s... Read on

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Richards sits out Rangers practice after 'cheap play'

January 20, 2012 , ι By HOWARD KUSSOY

Rangers center Brad Richards was held out of practice Friday due to a stiff neck he suffered after a hit by Penguins forward Matt Cooke in Thursday’s 4-1 loss. Richards, who said he plans to be in... Read on

Rangers center Brad Richards was held out of practice Friday due to a stiff neck he suffered after a hit by Penguins forward Matt Cooke in Thursday’s 4-1 loss.
	 
Richards, who said he plans to be in the lineup for Saturday’s afternoon game in Boston, was unhappy with what he described as a “cheap play.” Cooke was not penalized.
	 
“He came up beside me, from behind, and he slew-footed me,” Richards said in the locker room after practice Friday. “I’ve played enough games to know what a slew foot is. He didn’t come up and hit me face-to-face. It’s a cheap play. It’s not like that’s the first time he’s ever done it.”
	 
Richards, who missed time with a concussion last season with the Stars, said he does not have any concussion symptoms and was held off by trainer Jim Ramsay to do work on his neck.
	 
“I can’t remember if I banged my head, just snapped my neck,” Richards said. “It’s stiff, just locked up.”
	 
When coach John Tortorella was asked his opinion of the play, he said, “I’m not going to talk about it here.”
	 
Defenseman Michael Sauer (concussion) was kept off the ice for the second straight day after having skated three consecutive days earlier in the week, a decision also made by Ramsay.
	 
Defenseman Jeff Woywitka, who has not played since Dec. 30 with a foot injury, practiced without the orange non-contact jersey, but Tortorella said he will not be inserted into the lineup yet.

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NHL talking to Michigan about Winter Classic

January 18, 2012 , ι By LARRY LAGE, AP

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon says the school and the NHL are discussing bringing the Winter Classic to Michigan Stadium. Brandon said conversations about the annual... Read on

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Penguins' Crosby skating again

January 13, 2012 , ι ASSOCIATED PRESS

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby skated Friday for the first time in more than a month, and his teammates left little doubt they’re behind their captain as he continues to... Read on

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby skated Friday for the first time in more than a month, and his teammates left little doubt they’re behind their captain as he continues to recover from a recurrence of concussion symptoms.
	 
The Penguins taped a “C” on each of their practice jerseys in tribute to Crosby, who hasn’t played since Dec. 5 after the symptoms that kept him sidelined for nearly a year returned.
	 
Crosby joined the rest of the team on the ice for the final 30 minutes of a morning skate before Friday night’s game against the Florida Panthers, shooting a few pucks and making a few passes.
	 
Though Crosby called his return a positive, he’s still uncertain when he’ll be cleared to practice, let alone play.
	 
“The symptoms are getting a lot better, but I wouldn’t say (I’m) symptom free,” Crosby said.
	 
The 24-year-old suffered similar symptoms last January and missed more than 10 months. He returned in spectacular fashion on Nov. 21, scoring a pair of goals against the New York Islanders. He tallied 12 points in eight games before the symptoms returned after a 3-1 loss to Boston.
	 
The Penguins have struggled to find the net without their captain, managing just six goals during their current six-game losing streak, a slide that’s dropped a team considered a Stanley Cup contender two months ago into the bottom half of the Eastern Conference.
	 
Doctors have cleared Crosby for “light exertion,” and he was clearly out of breath when he addressed reporters shortly after leaving the ice. While acknowledging skating is “better than being on a bike” there are restraints on what he can do.
	 
Crosby admitted to having dizziness and balance problems, though the bigger issue remains how his body reacts when he’s moving.
	 
“The motion stuff has kind of been the issue from the time before and going through it a bit now,” he said. “The good thing is I have a pretty good handle on it.”
	 
Though the injury-ravaged Penguins have looked dismal over the last few weeks, Crosby shot down any discussion that the silence surrounding his condition — he hadn’t spoken to the media in a month — was causing a rift in the dressing room.
	 
“I’ve been around hockey long enough to know this stuff goes on when you’re losing,” Crosby said. “I don’t think we’d be talking about it if we’d won five straight.”
	 
Crosby was a constant presence around the team during training camp and joined the Penguins on each road trip before his return just before Thanksgiving. He hasn’t been quite as visible during his current rehab but doesn’t think he’s alienating his teammates.
	 
“I understand my responsibility,” he said. “I’ve been doing this long enough if there’s information to give that’s part of my role. I think if there’s no information to be given then I’m not going to give any. I’m not going to make something up and I’m not going to cause distraction or create distraction as a part of that.”
	 
Unlike last year, when Crosby sustained two obvious shots to the head, this time there was no single play that caused the symptoms to return. He has applauded the league’s effort to crack down on dangerous plays.
	 
“They can only do so much at the end of the day it’s up to us as players,” Crosby said. “It’s a quick game. Things can happen ... they have done a lot of good things to prevent it from happening.”
	 
Still, it hasn’t stopped some of the league’s elite players from dealing with concussions this season. Philadelphia defenseman Chris Pronger is out for the year with concussions, while Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang hasn’t played since late-November after sustaining a head shot. Letang has been cleared to workout and appears to be ahead of Crosby in terms of rehabilitation.
	 
Crosby hasn’t ruled out returning this season and vowed to remain with his teammates even if that means watching instead of playing.
	 
“You always want to be around them, when you’re losing too, you want to be there and go through it,” he said. “It’s good for me to be around the guys and hopefully support them and they can see that I’m getting closer and closer.”

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Islanders forward Tavares named to NHL All-Star team

January 12, 2012 , ι By BRETT CYRGALIS

The Islanders morning skate had come and gone, and around noon John Tavares' phone rang. It was assistant coach and assistant general manager Doug Weight, telling Tavares the NHL had released its All... Read on

The Islanders morning skate had come and gone, and around noon John Tavares' phone rang. It was assistant coach and assistant general manager Doug Weight, telling Tavares the NHL had released its All-Star roster and the 21-year-old was named to the first team of his career.
	 
“I remember [Wayne] Gretzky, I remember when [Dany] Heatley had four goals, I remember when Owen Nolan called the goal against [Dominik] Hasek,” Tavares said before Thursday night’s game against the Flyers at Nassau Coliseum. “I always looked up to those players, and being an elite player and being recognized that way is pretty special. It’s still sinking in, for sure.”
	 
It may have taken Tavares 2 1/2 seasons to get there, but he is now among the league’s elite. He led the Islanders in scoring with 14 goals and 25 assists, the 39-point total placing him tied for 21st in the league.
	 
“I feel like I’m getting better every year, every game,” Tavares said. “I feel like I’m getting to get to know the league a little better, I feel my game’s evolving. I think it’s all translating and coming together here.”
	 
Tavares was the only Islanders player to be named to the team and the first since defenseman Mark Streit made it in 2008-09. The game will be held Jan. 29 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, the home province of the Oakville, Ontario native.
	 
“I just play the game the way you’re supposed to play it, I think, and if these things come along, it’s great,” Tavares said. “It’s a great honor. It’s something I looked up to as a kid.”

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Three Rangers named to All-Star game

January 12, 2012 , ι POST STAFF REPORT

The best team in hockey will be represented by three players in the Jan. 29 NHL All-Star Game. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist, forward Marian Gaborik and defenseman Dan Girardi were picked to play in this... Read on

The best team in hockey will be represented by three players in the Jan. 29 NHL All-Star Game.
	 
Goalie Henrik Lundqvist, forward Marian Gaborik and defenseman Dan Girardi
	 were picked to play in this year’s game in Ottawa.
	 
This will be Lundqvist’s and Gaborik’s third All-Star Game appearance; it will be Girardi’s first. Whether or not the three Rangers will be teammates for the game will be determined by the draft held that weekend.
	 
Islanders forward John Tavares was named to his first All-Star Game.
	 
No Devils veterans were selected, but rookies Adam Henrique and Adam Larsson will represent the team in the Skills Competition.
	 
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Rangers send Christensen to minors; ask Wolski

January 11, 2012 , ι POST STAFF REPORT

Rangers forward Erik Christensen has been assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL) on a conditioning stint, the team said Wednesday.Christensen, who has not played since... Read on

Rangers forward Erik Christensen has been assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL) on a conditioning stint, the team said Wednesday.
	 
Christensen, who has not played since Dec. 17, has been a healthy scratch for 10 straight games and 18 of the Rangers’ 22 matches since Nov. 23. The center, who played in four straight from Dec. 11-17, has five points (1-4) in 20 games overall while averaging 8:07 per.
	 
“It was never a question of me saying no. It was yes all the way,” said Christensen, who practiced Wednesday.” For me at this point, I just want to play hockey. I’m excited to get in some games again…I don’t blame [Tortorella]. I wouldn’t change the lineup either. He’s doing what’s best for the team and I’d be doing the same thing.”
	 
A conditioning assignment has also been broached to Wojtek Wolski. John Tortorella said the winger is discussing it with “his people.”
	 
The potential move might have to wait because if Brandon Dubinsky (right shoulder) is unavailable to play Thursday, the coach said Wolski will fill in.
	 
Wolski hasn't played since Nov. 3 and has been listed as a healthy scratch for the past three games following a lengthy stay on injured reserve in the aftermath of Nov. 8 surgery to repair a sports hernia. The winger, who has been burdened by lower-body issues since camp, has two points (0-2) in six games.
	 
NHL players must give their consent to conditioning assignments that can last up to 14 days. It’s no sure thing Wolski, who is on the final year of a contact under which he carries an annual $3.8 million cap hit, would agree.
	 
Dubinsky, who injured his shoulder in Tuesday’s game, did not practice and will be a game-time decision.
	 
Defenseman Jeff Woywitka did not practice (foot).
	 
With Larry Brooks; Howard Kussoy

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Rangers coach calls end of Winter Classic 'disgusting'

January 03, 2012 , ι NYPOST.COM

Rangers coach John Tortorella harshly questioned the officiating at the end of the 3-2 Winter Classic win over the Flyers on Monday.The Flyers were awarded a penalty shot with less than 20 second to... Read on

Rangers coach John Tortorella harshly questioned the officiating at the end of the 3-2 Winter Classic win over the Flyers on Monday.
	 
The Flyers were awarded a penalty shot with less than 20 second to play, but Danny Briere was stopped by Henrik Lundqvist and the game ended shortly afterward.
	 
”They called a penalty shot which I still don’t understand,” Tortorella said. “I’m not sure if NBC got together with the refs to turn this into an overtime game. I thought the game was reffed horribly. I just thought tonight, in that third period, it was disgusting ... I’m not sure if they have meetings in there or what.”
	 
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