Saturday Roundup

Is it just me or was anybody else having a hard time finding something to watch on tv last night with the NHL on it's All-Star break? However, a thrilling 3-3 tie between Boston College and Maine on NESN did get me through the evening.
(Photo courtesy Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Since the Capitals are making noise around the league, the first talks of Alexander Ovechkin and the Hart Trophy are being thrown around. From TSN:

Pierre McGuire: "I think it's Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. When you think about what he's done with his 39 goals so far this year, it's a tremendous story he's writing there in Washington. When you watch Ovechkin play, it's like he's the Superman of the National Hockey League. He beats you with size, he beats you with speed and he beats you with skill and creativity. On top of that, he has a shot that's just lethal. You tell me about a player that has transformed a team the way he's done.

The Washington Capitals without Ovechkin would be the Los Angeles Kings of the Eastern Conference. If the Capitals don't make the playoffs, I would go with Daniel Alfredsson or Jarome Iginla, but how about Henrik Zetterberg in Detroit? Is there a player who does it better in two-way hockey?"

Mike Milbury: "The Washington Capitals will make the playoffs solely on Ovechkin carrying the team single-handedly since the coaching change to Bruce Boudreau. It's Alexander Ovechkin all the way."

People are also starting to take notice of coach Bruce Boudreau, and if the Capitals make the playoffs in any capacity, he should be a major player for the NHL coach of the year.

With his rumpled suits and odd-looking glasses, the balding Boudreau is not the NHL's version of Pat Riley behind the bench. There is nothing buttoned up about Boudreau. He looks like he could be a character from Slap Shot.

Leading all NHL rookies in points since Thanksgiving, Nicklas Backstrom is now a strong candidate for rookie of the year.

"(Backstrom) is the rookie of the year right now," says Ovechkin, a Calder winner himself in a marginal upset of Sidney Crosby two years ago. "He got eight points in two games – no rookie has ever done that."

Sean Collins, Patrick McNeill, and Steve Pinizzotto were all reassigned by Hershey on Friday to South Carolina of the ECHL. With their additions, the Caps now have four of their prospects playing with the Stingrays (Travis Morin is the other). In their first game back with the team, the Stingrays defeated the Florida Everblades in overtime 3-2.

With that note it's time to take a look at the top Capitals prospects and how they are performing this season. (As ranked by Hockey's Future)

• Karl Alzner, D: 6 goals, 17 assists, 23 points, +16 in 37 games with the Calgary Hitmen
• Eric Fehr, F: 1 goal, 3 assts, 4 points, even in 8 games with the Hershey Bears
• Semen Varlamov, G: 15 GP, 2.63 GAA, .893 SV% with Yaroslavl
• Francois Bouchard, F: 25 goals, 44 assists, 69 points, +10 in 50 games with Baie-Comeau
• Michal Neuvirth, G: 13-5-2-0, 2.67 gaa, .915 SV% in 21 total games with Oshawa, Windsor, and Plymouth
• Keith Seabrook, D: 3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points, -1 in 39 games with the Calgary Hitmen
• Chris Bourque, F: 14 goals, 14 assists, 28 points, +9 in 39 games with the Hershey Bears
• Oskar Osala, F: 13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points, 50 PIM in 40 games with the Espoo Blues
• Mathieu Perreault, F: 24 goals, 44 assists, 68 points, +28 in 42 games with Acadie-Bathurst
• Josh Godfrey, D: 15 goals, 21 assists, 36 points, +14 in 39 games with Sault Ste. Marie
• Teddy Ruth, D: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, +11 in 24 games with Notre Dame
• Patrick McNeill, D: 1 goal, 8 assists, 9 points, +3 in 25 games with the Hershey Bears, also 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points, +5 in 10 games with the South Carolina Stingrays
• Andrew Gordon, F: 7 goals, 14 assists, 21 points, +14 in 29 games with the Hershey Bears, also 8 goals, 6 assists, 14 points, +1 in 11 games with the South Carolina Stingrays
• Phil DeSimone, F: 1 goal, 9 assists, 10 points, +2 in 22 games with New Hampshire
• Sasha Pokulok, D: 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, +6 in 31 games with the Hershey Bears
• Sami Lepisto, D: 1 goal, 19 assists, 20 points, +15 in 32 games with the Hershey Bears
• Travis Morin, F: 18 goals, 26 assists, 44 points, +12 in 37 games with the South Carolina Stingrays
• Viktor Dovgan, D: 0 points, +2 in 16 games with CSKA
• Dan Dunn, G: 3-1-2, 2.25 gaa, .927 SV% in 8 games with St. Cloud State
  
• Jeff Finley, D: 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points, +19 in 24 games with North Dakota
  

Toronto Star on Boudreau: NHL Job is Just a Matter of Time

The Toronto Star is singing the praises of Hershey Bears bench boss Bruce Boudreau. They, like most Capitals and Hershey experts, believe that he will end up in the NHL as a Head Coach someday soon.


Boudreau's coming up big behind the bench
TheStar.com - Sports - Boudreau's coming up big behind the bench

`I don't know what else I could do if it wasn't for hockey,' ex-Leaf says of coaching the AHL's Bears

June 01, 2007
Kevin McGran
SPORTS REPORTER

They used to say he was too short to play in the NHL. Surely they can't say he's too short to coach in the NHL.

Bruce Boudreau did what he was supposed to do in junior hockey and the minors to impress scouts, coaches and general managers. He scored. Lots. And his teams won. Plenty.

But the guy they called "Gabby" couldn't catch a break. The Maple Leafs, who drafted him out of the Toronto Marlboros, treated him like a yo-yo. He was up and down to and from the minors for seven consecutive seasons. Despite his talent, his 5-foot-10 frame was apparently the obstacle to a long NHL career.

Now 52, Boudreau has an impressive resumé as a minor league coach with a .583 winning percentage. Last year, he coached the Hershey Bears to the Calder Cup. This year, the top farm team of the Washington Capitals is at it again, defending their title by taking on the Hamilton Bulldogs in a best-of-seven series that series begins tonight in Hershey, Pa.

"This is my 32nd year of fighting to get to the NHL," said Boudreau yesterday. "It's always your goal. You're always plugging away and hoping something will happen. But at the same time, quite frankly, I don't know what else I could do if it wasn't for hockey.

"I loved everywhere I've gone. I just keep doing what I do and hopefully somebody will notice."

And he's been everywhere, a member of 16 pro teams as a player. Boudreau actually got his pro start in 1975 with the WHA's Minnesota Fighting Saints' top farm team, the Johnstown (Pa.) Jets of the North American Hockey League. It happened to be where and when the movie Slap Shot was filmed.

Boudreau landed a bit part playing for the Hyannisport Presidents against Paul Newman's Charlestown Chiefs. He wore No.7.

"I'm the little hog that stays in front of the net because I knew where the camera was," said Boudreau.

Perhaps it was there that his reputation as the Crash Davis of pro hockey began. He was a prolific scorer in the minors. One of four players in AHL history to top the 100-point mark three times in his career, Boudreau sits 11th on the AHL's all-time scoring list with 799 points in 634 games over 11 seasons, and his 1.26 career points-per-game average ranks second among the 71 members of the 500-point club. No player scored more in the AHL in the 1980s than Boudreau.

"I'm not as good looking as Kevin Costner," said Boudreau, in reference to the Bull Durham star. "It's sort of a compliment. But at the same time, Crash Davis, no matter how good he did, was never going to get to the big leagues. That, I hope, is the difference."

He believes he'll coach in the NHL someday.

"I'm very happy with the Capitals," said Boudreau. But if anybody ever came along, I would certainly look at it."

Former St. Louis Blues coach Mike Kitchen, Boudreau's friend since they were teammates on the Marlies, thinks it's a matter of time.

"He recognizes talent so well," said Kitchen. "As we all know, there's only 30 of those jobs out there.

"It's being patient, and timing is everything in those jobs."

A Nice Tim Leone Article Worth Taking a Look At

For those of you who don't regularly follow Tim Leone's coverage of the Hershey Bears over at Pennlive.com this is a nice look at two of the Capitals newest prospects Steve Pinizzotto and Sean Collins, who were both signed last week after finishing up their collegiate seasons.

2 College Stars Take First Pro Steps
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Their college careers finished, newly signed Steve Pinizzotto and Sean Collins began their education in professional hockey yesterday at Hersheypark Arena.

The duo got a quick bonus seminar in logistics. They needed directions back to the appropriate locker room from Hershey Bears head coach Bruce Boudreau after practice concluded.

"Not there, that's the bathroom," professor Boudreau told Pinizzotto. "One more over."
Pinizzotto, a forward from Rochester Institute of Technology, and Collins, a defenseman from Ohio State, hope their first tentative pro steps are the start of a journey to the NHL.
Both were undrafted free agents who signed two-year entry-level contracts with the Washington Capitals (and amateur tryout deals with Hershey) last week.

"It's pretty intense," Pinizzotto said. "I didn't expect it to be like that. Being off the ice for a month, it shows what you have to do to be game-ready."

The 6-1, 195-pound Pinizzotto, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, opted to go pro after completing his sophomore season at RIT. The 22-year-old led the Tigers in scoring this season with 44 points (13 goals, 31 assists) and displayed an edge with a team-high 76 penalty minutes in 34 games.

"I felt I needed a change and I knew that if I would come up with better players and adapt to their pace of the game, it also makes you a better player, too," Pinizzotto said.
"I would just like to play my hardest every game and try to help the team win another Calder Cup."

College and junior-eligible players rarely have much of an immediate impact when they hit the AHL.

"When the college kids come and the junior kids come, their idea is to let's see what pro hockey's all about," Boudreau said. "Sometimes you get really lucky with a [Mike] Richards [Philadelphia] or a [Jeff] Carter [Philadelphia] or Andrew Alberts [Providence], but most of the time it's giving them a little view of what pro life is going to be like so when their next year comes they know what's coming and there's no surprise.

"Sometimes juniors that come in think that this is going to be easy, but the American League is a very good league and the eyes are opened very quickly."

Collins, 23, was Ohio State's captain this season and a second-team All-CCHA pick. The 6-1, 215-pounder led the Buckeyes in scoring with 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 28 games.
"It was exciting," Collins said of his first practice. "There's a lot of anticipation. I was real anxious.

"It's definitely quicker. The passes are harder. It's tough for me because I'm out of game shape right now. I've been off for about two weeks. I really look forward to getting into the swing of things and getting in shape. It's the most exciting time of the year, and I'm stepping right into an exciting time. It's awesome."

Collins, a Troy, Mich., native, was teammates with Bears centerman Dave Steckel at Ohio State in 2003-04. It was Steckel's senior year and Collins' freshman year.

"It's real nice to come in and know someone that's been here for a little bit," Collins said. "He's a great guy, so he's helping out a little bit."

Pinizzotto is the first RIT player since the school moved from Division III to Division I in 2005-06 to leave early and go pro. The 22-year-old missed the first nine games of his freshman season in 2005-06 due to a torn ACL, but he made it back two months after suffering the knee injury to produce 18 points in 24 games and enjoyed a breakout season in 2006-07.

"I got a lot of my points on the power play [eight goals]," Pinozzotto said. "I had a lot of good players to play with, so that helped me out a lot."

Boudreau said he doesn't have much of a read on Pinizzotto and Collins as players after one practice.

"I didn't want to start teaching today," Boudreau said. "They can both skate and shoot. But junior B players can do that, so we'll see. The big thing is to see how they can adapt to systems and the speed of the game.

"At some point, they're going to play. It's just a question of when. I'd like to get them in sooner rather than later. You don't want to have to put them in for the first game when we're battling for first place."

MUSICAL CITIES:

The Springfield Falcons, poised for a fourth straight season out of the playoffs, visit Giant Center tonight amid a big off-ice week for the franchise.

Formal announcement came Monday that the Edmonton Oilers will replace the Tampa Bay Lightning as the club's NHL affiliate next season. With the Chicago Blackhawks switching their AHL affiliation to the expansion Rockford, Ill., franchise next season, Tampa Bay is expected to affiliate with Norfolk.

Boudreau is friends with Springfield general manager Bruce Landon. He said he talked to Landon Monday and lauded the Edmonton prospects he's seen play for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.

"He's pretty excited about the whole thing," Boudreau said. "He's a good guy, and I hope it works out."

For the Bears, tonight's game will be a glimpse at some players they'll be seeing more of next season in the East Division, assuming the alignment remains the same and Tampa Bay actually affiliates with Norfolk.

"I know those players pretty good," Boudreau said. "I follow Springfield because Bruce Landon is such a good friend of mine.

"Anytime a team changes an affiliation, you see the NHL team make an extra effort to put a good product in. I believe that they're going to be a good team next year [in Norfolk]."

Norfolk became the first AHL team to clinch a playoff berth. Hershey's magic number to clinch an East Division playoff berth is four points; any combination of Bears points gained and Albany points lost that adds up to four will cement a Bears' postseason slot.

Albany visits Worcester tonight. Thus, the Bears could clinch tonight with a win over Springfield and a regulation loss by Albany.

BLUE LINES: Stephen Werner and Marc Busenburg practiced with Hershey yesterday, but one or both soon could be ticketed back to South Carolina (ECHL). "South Carolina is in quite a terrific race to make the playoffs," Boudreau said. "We don't want to steal players from them if we don't have to. If we can get a guy back, we probably would." ... Injured Scott Barney remained sidelined, and Matt Hendricks also sat out practice. ... Chad Wiseman has begun off-ice rehabilitation in the wake of sports hernia surgery. ... Two Notre Dame caps were among the hats tossed in the wake of Kyle Wilson's hat trick Sunday against Binghamton. Bears interns Andrew Telega and Dave Corsones had the inventive presence of mind to station them as props at Fighting Irish fan Boudreau's postgame interview table.

Successful Weekend Pulls Bears Within 3 Points of Division Leader

Winless Weekend for Norfolk Tightens Race for the East Division Crown

Sunday: Hershey Bears 5, Binghamton 2 Boxscore
Saturday: Philadelphia Phantoms 3, Hershey Bears 2 Boxscore
Friday: Hershey Bears 3, Philadelphia Phantoms 0 Boxscore

(Photo Courtesy of Michael Fernandez/The Patriot-News)

A week after dropping both games at home to the Albany River Rats and the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Bears entered this weekend’s slate of games 7 points behind the first place Norfolk Admirals in the East Division. After splitting a home-and-home series with the Phantoms, Hershey finished up the weekend in a winning fashion, defeating the Binghamton Senators 5-2.

Yesterday, the Bears found themselves in a tough battle with the last place Senators. With the game tied at 2 in the third period, Kyle Wilson was able to tally what ended up being the game winning goal taking a nice feed from Jakub Klepis and beating goaltender Kelly Guard from the right circle. Hershey ended up firing 45 shots on Guard during the night and goals by Mike Green, his first in the AHL this season, and Quinton Lang, his 12th, in the final five minutes of the game would make the final score look a lot more one-sided than the game actually was.

Maxime Daigneault continued his superior play since the team lost both Frederic Cassivi and Nolan Schaefer to NHL recalls, making 23 saves in route to improving his record to 15-4-0 on the season. He saw action in all three of the Bears games making 31 saves in a shutout win at Philadelphia on Friday night and then stopping all 10 shots he faced in relief of Jeff Pietrasiak Saturday night.

Jakub Klepis was also a key factor this weekend notching a goal and two assists to go along with some solid physical play that is making people, such as his coach Bruce Boudreau, take notice. His coach had this to say following Sunday’s game: (From Pennlive.com)

“In Washington, they compete, compete, compete and they talk to Jakub a lot about that,” Boudreau said. “He’s come down here and he’s hit probably in the 15 games he’s played more than he hit last year. That’s a really positive step in his development.”

With the NHL trading deadline set for tomorrow afternoon, and the Capitals letting it be known that they will be active, Hershey could once again find themselves the beneficiary of some quality additions for their playoff run. Last year a Washington trade with Nashville for veteran Brendan Witt brought them Kris Beech who was a key member of the Bears Calder Cup championship team. This year the team will be looking to deal forwards Danius Zubrus and Richard Zednik along with a veteran defenseman or two that could include Jamie Heward. Zubrus in particular should bring some attractive young prospects that could potentially see some time with Hershey during the remainder of the season. It also remains to be seen if the Capitals make any moves with some of their depth players such as Beech or Lawrence Nycholat who would need to pass through waivers in order to be reassigned to the team.

It will definitely be something that all fans in Hershey will need to watch as any moves Washington makes will directly effect the Bears and their clear day roster.

Hershey Wins In Head Coach's Milestone Game

Three Straight Goals Lead Bears Past Slumping Pirates
Hershey Bears 5, Portland Pirates 2
Boxscore
(Photo courtesy of Just Sports Photography)

Tonight marked the 1,000th professional game of Head Coach Bruce Boudreau's career. And the Bears made sure he would have something to celebrate it by as they triumphed at home before 6,511 at the Giant Center.

Frederic Cassivi returned to the Bears lineup today after his short recall to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. He services were needed to backup Olie Kolzig following a lower body injury to reserve Brent Johnson.

The first period had the same feel as some of the recent Capitals games as sound defensive play dominated the early action. That would change as the intermission approached. The Pirates would strike first following a Timo Helbling turnover in his own zone. Helbling blew a tire as he was trying to clear the puck and fell to the ice, sending the puck right to the waiting stick of Joe Motzko. He found himself wide open in the slot and beat Cassivi glove side for his 14th goal of the season in an unassisted fashion.

The Bears were able to respond back before the end of the period, following a Trevor Byrne penalty they recorded their team's 18th short handed goal of the season when Alexandre Giroux entered the offensive zone on a two on one break. He slid a nice pass across to Quinton Laing who made the most of it, tying the score at one with his 11th of the season as the teams headed into the intermission.

The turning point of the game might just have been Hershey's ability to kill of a Pirates two man advantage at the start of the second period. They used that momentum to score twice in the period and take a 3-1 lead heading into the third. Joey Tenute put home the rebound from the left faceoff circle following a Chad Wiseman shot from the point for a power play goal, his 15th of the year. Hendricks followed that up with a hard working goal as he stuffed home the loose puck right at the goal line after Pirates goaltender Sabastien Caron could not coral it.

Less than five minutes into the third the Pirates tried to make a game of it after a weak backhand shot by Clay Wilson slipped past Cassivi to pull them within one at 3-2. It was definitely a shot that Cassivi would like to have back, but it didn't hurt the Bears as only three minutes later a Kyle Wilson goal would put Hershey back up by 2. A nice individual effort by Dave Steckel later in the period on a 4 on 4 situation put the game away for good. He pick-pocketed a Pirates defenseman in Portland's zone and went in all alone on Caron. A nice deke notched his 19th goal of the year and made the final 5-2.

With the game no longer in doubt, things got a little chippy towards the end. A pair of fights ensued less than a minute apart between the Pirates' Geoff Peters and the Bears captain Matt Hendricks, and Dean Arsene and Greg Amadio.

The win improved Hershey's record to 31-9-5-5 for 72 points on the season. That kept the Bears within 5 points of the division leading Norfolk Admirals as they were able to come from behind and beat the Albany River Rats in a shootout 5-4.

Your Top 3 Stars:

1. Dave Steckel, Hershey 1 goal
2. Alexandre Giroux, Hershey 2 assists

3. Frederic Cassivi, Hershey 32 saves

Bears Finish Up Weekend With Victory

Hershey Dominates Division Rival Penguins for Complete 60 Minutes
Hershey Bears 4, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 1
Boxscore

Washington Capitals' mascot Slapshot was on hand to see the Hershey Bears completely dominate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Peguins from the get go. The Peguins were playing their 4th game in 5 nights and it showed as the Bears jumped all over them from the moment the puck was dropped. Despite a Chad Wiseman hooking penalty just 46 seconds into the game, the Bears were able to grab possession of the puck. Dave Steckel took a pass from defenseman Dean Arsene at the red line and moved into the Penguins zone uncontested. He fired a wrist shot past goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers into the top right corner of the net for his 14th of the season to give the Bears a 1-0 lead just 1:01 into the game. The goal was the Bears' 17th short handed goal of the season.

Hershey would keep the pressure on the Penguins and scored their second goal of the game as their first power-play of the game expired. Jeff Schultz took a pass from Jakub Klepis at the point and fired a wrist shot just inside the blue line that deflected off Penguins' defenseman Tom Gilbert's left skate into the back of the net. It was Schultz's 2nd goal of the season in his first game back with Hershey after being reassigned by the Capitals for the All-Star break.

After their second goal, the Bears continued to control the action recording the first seven shots of the game and not allowing a Wilkes-Barre shot for the first six minutes of the game. They scored again after Chris Bourque controlled the puck in the Penguins corner and fired a shot towards the net with lots of traffic in front. Steckel was able to get a stick on the puck to deflect in his second goal and the game and 15th of the season. It was the Bears third goal in their first nine shots of the game.

It was a physical game, in front of 7,653 fans at the Giant Center, as a lot of scrums followed stoppages in play. Timo Helbling had the hit of the night, leveling Penguins' left winger Alexei Mikhnov on his back as he entered the Bears zone three minutes into the game. Heavyweights Deryk Engelland and Dennis Bonvie had a nice battle at the 11:35 mark of the first period. They exchanged some big blows before Bonvie connected on consecutive rights to knock Engelland to the ice.

The Penguins tried to get back in the game and got a short-handed goal at the 3:10 mark of the second period to cut the lead to 3-1. But they were unable to build any momentum off of that goal and the score remained the same until the 13:35 mark of the third period, when Chris Bourque deflected a Chad Wiseman shot from the point into the back of the net for his 11th goal of the season, giving the Bears the 4-1 win. The victory improved Hershey's record to 28-8-3-5, 64 points putting them three points ahead of the third place Penguins, and three points behind the first place Norfolk Admirals.

Your Top 3 Stars of the Game:
1. Dave Steckel, Hershey 2 goals, 1 assist
2. Jeff Schultz, Hershey 1 goal, 1 assist
3. Chris Bourque, Hershey 1 goal, 1 assist

Game Notes: Bears coach Bruce Boudreau announced today that Maxime Daigneault could be out a couple days or a couple weeks with what is being described as a lower body injury. To take his place on the roster Hershey recalled Davis Parley from the South Carolina Stingrays who was on hand to backup Daren Machesney today.... Jamie Hunt, Marc Busenburg, Joey Tenute, and Alexandre Giroux were scratched from the lineup.... The Bears continuously used Jakub Klepis at the point on the power play's first unit.... Hershey currently leads the league in penalty minutes as a team with 1180.

Around the NHL

Here are some good articles from issues around the NHL. Read, rate, and discuss.

1. Everyone is talking about the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins and their talk of relocating the franchise. But there is another franchise that arguably is worse shape, the Florida Panthers. An ESPN article by Damien Cox describes their troubles.
   
2. The Edmonton Oilers are in involved in talks for a new arena to replace the aging Rexall Place. They have seven years remaining on their current lease and would like to move into a new downtown arena at that time.
3. Sean Burke has a new home after being claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Kings.
4. The highly debated Rail Cam will be used during the NHL All-Star game, and will be available in HD.
5. Speaking of the All-Star game, Joe Sakic and Brendan Shanahan were named All-Star captains.
6. The AHL All-Star game will be broadcast to over 100 million homes throughout the US and Canada.
7. The American Conference defeated the National Conference 6-3 in the ECHL All-Star game last night. The game was available free of charge via b2networks.
8. I refuse to come to a conclusion about the new uniforms until a see more about them. But here's an article on what Gary Bettman has to say about them.
9. A nice article on the Hershey Bears recapping their first half of the season. It also announces that Coach Bruce Boudreau will return next season to the Bears as the Capitals have picked up their option in his contract.