hump day info...

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Armstrong has not heard from NHL about play in scrimmage

09/25/2002

By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News


Bill Guerin took a two-handed slash to the neck of Stars prospect Brett Draney on Sept. 15 in a scrimmage in Breckenridge, Colo. ? and the event is now receiving publicity around the NHL.

A film crew from Canada discovered the footage recently and Tuesday began televising the play and asking if Guerin should be suspended. The slash would have drawn a suspension had it occurred during the regular season, and Guerin drew a three-game suspension last October for a slash to the face of Atlanta's Patrik Stefan.

However, Stars GM Doug Armstrong said the team has already dealt with the situation and has not heard from the NHL about it.

"It's an internal situation," Armstrong said. "It happened in the heat of battle, I'm sure Billy wishes he wouldn't have done it, but nobody was hurt, and we moved on."


Boucher cleared, but not to play

Defenseman Philippe Boucher received a clear reading on a CT scan he took Tuesday on his injured ribs. However, one of the team's key off-season acquisitions is not expected to start practicing at full strength any time soon.

"There's no tears. But it's still very sore when I work out," Boucher said. "It's just kind of like a day-to-day thing."

Stars coach Dave Tippett said he would like to get Boucher back to practice and would then like to get him into games next week.

"If he's gone through practice for a week, I think he would be fine for those games," Tippett said.

Briefly ...

Mike Modano was replaced in Tuesday's lineup by Pierre Turgeon in a move listed as a coach's decision. ... Coach Dave Tippett said he might move up his cuts to Wednesday and get the team down to a more workable number. Dallas is carrying 37 players after sending goalies Jason Bacashihua and Mike Smith to the Utah Grizzlies of the American Hockey League and returning right wing Anthony Aquino to Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League. ... Blackhawks winger Eric Daze will have surgery Wednesday to repair a herniated disk in his back and will be re-evaluated in six weeks. ... Before David Oliver scored even-strength in the third period, the Stars' previous nine goals had come on the power play. ... Ron Tugnutt played the entire for the Stars and gave up five goals on 25 shots.

The Stars have now scored nine of their last 10 goals on the power play. On the other hand, the Stars struggled 5-on-5, something both the players and coaches said comes down to effort. "We've got to compete harder for loose pucks," Tippett said. "It's not a situation where we can just flip a switch and say we're going to play hard. It's got to be something that's built in. We've got some young guys playing real hard, but as a group, we have to get to work."
 
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pitt...

pitt...

Lemieux's linemates have yet to be determined, but he has been skating with Jan Hrdina on his left and Aleksey Morozov on his right. Lemieux said he would like to play with Martin Straka -- when Straka recovers from his back injury.

``Marty worked well last year until we both got hurt,'' Lemieux said. ``He's got so much speed that he creates a little gap between the (defense) and myself, and that's always something that's nice to work with, having a little gap and seeing the ice better. The better speed I have on each wing, the better my game's going to be.''
 
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"The NHL has good news for fans who are tired of going to a game and returning home after the late news is over. It's called hurry-up faceoffs. And it's working.

The tightening of a rule that mandates faceoffs be taken in 18 seconds or less has so far been cutting at least 15-20 minutes from the length of preseason games.

"Hockey is a fast game, and its speed is what makes it the game it is," NHL Director of Officiating Andy Van Hellemond said Tuesday. "The teams that learn how to deal with this quicker are the teams that are going to be rewarded."

TSN notes
http://www.tsn.ca/fantasy_sports/hockey/news_story.asp?ID=5565
 
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Yotes

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more......
defenseman Drake Berehowsky to the injured list - indefinitely.

Tests confirmed the worst, that Berehowsky suffered complete tears to the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

The injury occurred during Saturday's preseason loss to Anaheim, and the veteran will be sidelined for four to five months.

"It's a bad break for me, but I've been through this before, once in each knee, and I'll come back again," Berehowsky, 30, said.

"I'll have surgery in the next few days, and as soon as I can, I'll start my rehab. I'm definitely planning on coming back this season.

"You can't hurry Mother Nature, though. You've got to be patient."

So will general manager Mike Barnett, who said for the time being, the Nos. 7 and 8 spots on the depth chart at defense will be up for grabs among rookies Dan Focht, Martin Grenier, Mike Schutte and Goran Bezina. Barnett will resist the temptation to sign a veteran free agent.

"It's a big loss, no doubt, but I'd prefer to put it into a positive now," Barnett said. "Every year, you hope to have two or three rookies break into your lineup. It looks like we'll have that."

Right wing Branko Radivojevic is a lock to wrap up a roster spot. Other first-year forwards high in the mix include centers Jeff Taffe, Martin Podlesak and Jason Jaspers. Taffe had a goal, and Podlesak two assists Sunday
 
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minn.....

ST. PAUL (AP) -- Minnesota Wild center Darby Hendrickson will miss three months after breaking his arm in preseason action.

Hendrickson fractured his left forearm in the Wild's 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday night. He was scheduled to have surgery Wednesday to repair the forearm
 
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good article..

good article..

good one from the denver post...
interesting to see keenan's quotes at the bottom, something to consider...

VAIL - "When Mike Keenan took over as coach and general manager of the St. Louis Blues in January 1995, one of his first duties was to pick a spot to hold training camp. It didn't take long before his thoughts told him to head for the mountains.
Florida Panthers, from left, Stephane Matteau, Jim Campbell and Roberto Luongo work out details of a bet on the 10th tee at Cordillera Mountain Course in Edwards on Tuesday. The outing is part of training camp.
"I'm familiar with Colorado because I have a place in Aspen and had been here before," the Florida Panthers coach said Monday, standing inside Vail's Dobson Arena. "I knew of this facility, and thought it would be a good place to get away to and get started."

Thus started a trend. Whereas the Colorado high country always has been a favorite training location for runners and skiers, NHL teams always stayed closer to sea level. Now it's all the rage to spend a few days skating and, more important, bonding as a team in the thin air.

In the past month, two other NHL teams trained in the mountains before Keenan's Panthers came to Vail on Sunday for five days of "High Altitude" camp. The Montreal Canadiens spent part of camp training in Vail, and the Dallas Stars trained several days in Breckenridge.

Put hockey players at high altitude for a few days, and they seem to come down the mountain with a refreshed attitude.

"Oh, man, it's awesome up there," Dallas veteran Scott Young said. "I'd spent some time in the mountains when I played for the Avalanche, so I knew about it. But it was really great to spend time as a whole team there."

When the Blues first came to Vail, the NHL had just ended a lockout with the players, and brief training camps were scheduled. When the abbreviated 48-game regular season started, the Blues got off to a 6-2 start, and Keenan said they were better prepared because of their Vail stay.

"Everybody hung out together, they went to dinners together and hung out in the hotel together. It was good, particularly that year, because they had all sat at home from September to January," Keenan said.

So much for the perception teams come to the Colorado mountains for the benefits altitude training has on their bodies. Most sports physiologists agree it takes a minimum of two weeks of intense training at high altitude to get any carry-over benefits at sea level.

"It's definitely the bonding aspect that I think is the most beneficial to our team," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "It's such a beautiful place to spend a few days. The guys all are in the same spot, doing things together. That's what helps build a team."

The Stars spent two training camps in Vail, after former general manager Bob Gainey called Keenan to find out what his stay was like.

"He called me right away for the name to contact," Keenan said. "They started coming here right after that, and then they won the Stanley Cup" in 1999.

Each year the Stars have trained in the mountains, they have held an Eco-Challenge, crossing rivers, forming human dog sleds and running with medicine balls up hillsides, with players bonding on five-man teams.

"We did it a few years ago, and it was tough, some of that stuff, but it was good for camaraderie," Stars forward Mike Modano said. "You see guys doing stuff you've never seen them do before, and you start laughing and having fun. We love going up there."

The Canadiens, hosted by team owner and Vail resident George Gillett Jr., came away this year raving about their experience, although they didn't do any Eco-Challenge team activities.

"It's a great place to train. I really loved it and definitely want to come back," Canadiens goalie and Hart Trophy winner Jose Theodore said.

One team that never has trained in the mountains is Colorado's own Avalanche. The Avs had a preseason game against the San Jose Sharks at Dobson Arena in 1995, but haven't been back since.

"Well, they're already at the altitude all year," Keenan said. "They probably like to go to sea level and take in a game of golf or something."

While Keenan acknowledges the Panthers probably won't get much of a lasting effect from training at Vail's 8,200-foot elevation, any physical edge will be welcomed in an upcoming season that will feature the new hurry-up faceoff rules.

"You're racing on, racing off the ice now," Keenan said. "We're playing in two hours now, not three. Playing 27 minutes in a two-hour game is a lot different than playing it in three hours. Everyone's fitness has to be at a higher level, and the rate of recovery has to be faster now. You have to be ready, because the next shift is going to come faster."
 
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STL

STL

Injured Blues defenceman Chris Pronger remains on schedule with his re-hab assignment, and will not play in the first half of the season unless he makes a miraculous leap forward.
Pronger told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his recovery from offseason surgeries to his knee and wrist is going well, but nothing has changed the expectations that he will not play until January. Pronger is projected to return sometime in early January. "As far as I know, I'm on schedule," he told the Post-Dispatch. "I'm going in the right direction. I cannot give you a percentage. I do not have that information."
Blues Insider: Players make a commitment to fitness
By Derrick Goold
Of the Post-Dispatch
09/21/2002 10:36 PM
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Rookie defenseman Barret Jackman, still more than a year away from his NHL debut, was either cooking dinner or just sitting around his house two summers ago when the phone rang with what he was sure was a prank.

C'mon, Al MacInnis doesn't just go around calling rookies.

"All of sudden it's a call from Al," Jackman said. "Thought it might be my friend, but it was Al. ... He's been able to stay in the league as long as he has because he's in such great shape and he wanted to tell me how to get a head start."

Like Chris Pronger, Keith Tkachuk, Dallas Drake and Doug Weight, Jackman signed on to work with Phoenix-based personal trainer Charles Poliquin, MacInnis' guy. Jackman dropped 9 percent of body fat in his first summer with Poliquin. He dropped another 6 or 7 percent this summer and is seeing the benefits on the ice.

Across the board, the Blues core group improved on the team's physical testing. Many of the Blues came back stronger, more explosive and able to recover from exertion quicker.

This may be the most fit the Blues have ever been.

"I also think we're strong and more explosive - and you don't even have to measure this, you can just look at them," Blues exercise physiologist Howie Wenger said. "(The core) 20 guys are all well-rounded in their fitness. I would say throw a blanket over 10 of those guys and they're among the best - and those are 10 key guys. It's as good a package of fitness as I've seen in the NHL."

Going into training camp, the Blues test each player's core strength, body fat, flexibility, forearm strength and explosiveness and run the "VO2" test to determine use of oxygen. Usually offseason training produces better strength and explosive tests. Going into this camp, the Blues improved their cardiovascular fitness, as well.

That means the team will recover better shift to shift, game to game. It's an essential attribute to survive the travel and back-to-back games.

Dedication to nutrition may help maintain the level of fitness.

"The schedule isn't as condensed as last season, but some months we are going to be taxed," Blues coach Joel Quenneville said. "Something that's ongoing is that ability to recovery. We didn't always have that (last season)."

"What I did during my summer vacation" stories are varied but end the same: Weight recovered from his pelvic injury and is in the best shape of his career. Tkachuk, a year removed from his fitness renaissance that returned him to elite form, is stronger. Fred Brathwaite trimmed weight. Sergei Varlamov was one of many youngsters who worked out at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., doing weight training and sprint work. Jamal Mayers, always among the most fit, improved his recovery ability.

Tyson Nash, the team's winner for best overall fitness, spent 1 1/2 to 2 hours every morning climbing trails on a mountain bike. After a season spoiled by lingering knee trouble, Nash is back.

"Look around this room," Nash said. "Look at Al MacInnis. This is what it takes. Guys look at that and realize what you have to do."

There are three reasons for the Blues interest in fitness: First, it's just what NHL teams do these days, train hard or perish. Second, it is clear the Blues attacked the offseason to sweat out the frustration of last season. And third, good old-fashioned peer pressure.

MacInnis, 39, is the leader. Chris Pronger and Tkachuk are also trend-setting, peer-pressuring fitness freaks. Jackman, whom MacInnis phoned after hearing of the rookie's shoulder injury two summers ago, is the next generation.

"I'd be scared to death to come into training camp out of shape," said MacInnis, in his 23rd camp. "The level of fitness as a group is certainly drastically improved. Look at (Tkachuk) and the commitment he made. He was a changed man. And it showed on the ice. When you see that result, how can you not take something from that?
 
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Jassen Cullimore expects to skate again today but may not return to game action until Saturday at home against Florida.

``It felt pretty good as long as I could keep control of my strides,'' Cullimore said. ``As I felt I had to stop or start or do something very quick, the muscle is slow to fire. It'll probably be another couple of days before I'm 100 percent.''

C Vincent Lecavalier missed Wednesday's game with a sprained shoulder. He said he would have been in the lineup had it been the regular season.

``It's a precaution, because it can get worse,'' Lecavalier said. ``It could get really painful. Even if it was in the regular season, I [might] play, get hurt, and maybe I could miss a month. It would be stupid to play right now and maybe hurt it.''

The injury bug also hit captain Dave Andreychuk, who broke the little toe on his right foot. He is expected to miss seven to 10 days.
LW Gordie Dwyer missed his second day of practice with the stomach flu. LW Fredrik Modin was in the lineup after being limited during practice Tuesday.

LINE-CHANGE TROUBLE: After watching from the press box the first three games, Coach John Tortorella wants his players to execute line changes better.

``Our line changes are horrendous. They stay out too long, and when we change we don't change hard. That's an important part of the game that we are absolutely sloppy on,'' he said.
 
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COLUMBUS
from Sept 24(didnt see their lines for tonight's DET game)

Coach Dave King has taken a hard look at what he hopes will be two scoring lines. On one line, Geoff Sanderson, Andrew Cassels and Andrej Nedorost have lined up from left to right.

"Sandy and Andrew haven't played together for a long time, but there's an understanding between the two of them when they're on the ice,'' King said. "The missing piece is, 'Who is the the right person to bring that line together?' Nedorost has handled himself well so far.''

Nedorost, who had two goals and an assist in the exhibition opener against Buffalo, has had wide eyes the last week or so. He was a ninth-round pick (286th overall) only two years ago.

"It's great playing with guys like them. If I'm open for the puck, I'm going to get it,'' Nedorost said. "The only thing I'm thinking is to play hard and show them all I've got, but I know there's a long way to go.''

The other scoring line has clicked almost instantaneously. Ray Whitney, Espen Knutsen and newcomer Lasse Pirjeta put together five or six dominating shifts Saturday in Tampa Bay, then had a few more Sunday against Nashville.

"There seems to be a balance there with Pirjeta's puck protection and playmaking ability,'' King said. "It seems, already, to be a good fit.''

The most-used third line has been 18-year-old rookie Rick Nash with veterans Mike Sillinger and Grant Marshall, although Tyler Wright spelled Sillinger at center on Sunday.

"Every young player deserves a chance to play with veterans, guys who know the league and know the game,'' King said. "Rick's had an effective camp so far, I think everyone would agree.''

Marshall likely will get a shot to play beside Sanderson and Cassels, with Wright moving to right wing on the third line. David Vyborny will have to fit in somewhere.

The fourth line, other than left winger Jody Shelley, is wide open.

The only certainty, King said, is that he wants the top two lines to be distinctly different from the third and fourth this season.

"Our first two lines, we'll need them to play a little more abrasively in addition to the scoring,'' King said. "But our third and fourth lines have to bring some of that physical presence to the game.''
 
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haha, just psyched about the start of the season. love the mj's hockey forum as it is no-nonsense and the majority of cappers really follow the game....:)
 
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