Funkerstation » k is 100 per cent fine after being stretched

Scott Cullen takes a look at the top stories from January 3rd through January 9th, including the World Junior Hockey Championship, a coach getting fired in Toronto, Luongo returning to Vancouver, frustration in Boston and more. GOOD AS GOLD Team Canada won gold at the World Junior Hockey Championship, clinging to a 5-4 lead to defeat Russia in the gold medal game. Canada raced out to a 5-1 lead in the final, only to allow three goals in a span of 2:32 in the second period to let the Russians get right back into the game and then it was a white-knuckle ride the rest of the way. It was Canadas first gold at the event since 2009, and it came relatively easily, with their New Years Eve game against the U.S. the only real challenge before the gold medal game. Team Canada outscored their opponents 34-5 in six games leading up to the final matchup, a game that looked like it was going to be easy pickings, until it suddenly wasnt. Canada had the tournaments best power play (9-for-21, 42.9%) and the highest save percentage (.938) as the duo of Zach Fucale and Eric Comrie got the job done while facing minimal work (20.57 shots per game) -- a dominant team performance. For Team Canada, getting back to the winners circle eases some pressure. They are contenders (perhaps even favourites) every year, so when the years between wins start to add up, frustration can build. This year, they embraced their home-team favourite status and delivered a gold medal performance, one that was appreciated by a large audience nationwide. CARLYLE GONE Even though the Toronto Maple Leafs were sitting in eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, with a positive goal differential, Randy Carlyle was fired as head coach. In one respect, maybe that would be considered a surprise, given their place in the standings, but the end has been coming for a while, and Carlyle finished his run in Toronto with one regulation win in the last nine games. He finished his Maple Leafs tenure with a 91-78-19 (.535) record, which is entirely mediocre, but there have been signs for quite a while that Carlyles approach was inhibiting the Maple Leafs puck possession. Given that the Leafs now have some analytically-inclined voices in hockey operations, these shortcomings had to be known and if the trend wasnt going to change, then it made sense to see what Torontos players could do with a new voice guiding them from behind the bench. If the players cant perform any better under interim coach Peter Horachek, then it becomes easier to see which players definitely need to go, as opposed to those that may have been dragged down by Carlyle. Horachek didnt have any grand success as head coach in Florida last season, going 26-36-4 after taking over from Kevin Dineen, but the Panthers had a 49.6% score-adjusted Corsi under Horachek last season (after Dineen started the year at 46.5%). Puck possession isnt the only responsibility for a coach, but if there are tangible measures that indicate the puck is going in the wrong direction, its something that needs to be addressed and it appears that the Maple Leafs have decided there wasnt enough improvement in that aspect of the game under Carlyles watch this season. THE BLAME GAME It didnt take long, literally a few hours, for blame for Carlyles ouster to get shifted to the Maple Leafs players, none moreso than Phil Kessel. Yes, Phil Kessel, who has 255 points in 253 games since the start of the 2011-2012 season. Blame wasnt outright cast upon Kessel but, on the day of his coach getting fired and the previous coach throwing players under the bus, Kessel was asked about whether or not he is uncoachable. Well, thats certainly leading the witness, a question that obviously isnt going to be well-received by anyone, and some witnesses took the bait. This isnt to suggest that Kessel is blameless. Whenever a coach gets fired, the players could assuredly have done more, but taking the uncoachable angle immediately, without appearing to even consider data that suggests Carlyles coaching is a drag on puck possession, shifts that blame unfairly. This isnt unusual. Taylor Hall got it when the Oilers fired Dallas Eakins. Alex Ovechkin gets it every time the Washington Capitals fire a coach. If Ottawa had a high scoring forward, maybe he would have taken the heat when Paul MacLean was fired. The point is that there are a lot of places to aim the blame when a bad team fires its coach and Toronto has no shortage of worthy targets to consider before getting to the teams elite scoring winger. So, dont be surprised if that winger doesnt feel like he should be the one taking the hit. UNACCEPTABLE Boston Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs teed off on his team this week, describing their first-half results as unacceptable and that missing the playoffs would be viewed as an incredible failure. The Bruins have made the playoffs in seven straight seasons, winning a Cup in 2011 and losing the Cup Final in 2013, so expectations are naturally high, but as they were on-the-outside-looking-in at a playoff spot, Jacobs wasnt going to let it slide. The Boston fanbase has been on edge. When I put out a complimentary tweet about David Pastrnak -- their first-round pick in the 2014 Draft -- the feedback was full of frustration, with Bruins fans already dreading the day when the skilled Czech forward gets traded for a fraction of the value (presumably in reference to Tyler Seguin and even Joe Thornton trades). Since Jacobs call to arms, the Bruins have won both games, stealing one in overtime at Pittsburgh and then thoroughly dominating New Jersey, to put the Bruins into the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. What Jacobs outburst really signals, though, is that the pressure is on head coach Claude Julien and, perhaps, GM Peter Chiarelli. When the big boss makes public declarations like this, that tightens collars throughout the organization. WELCOME BACK, LU There was a time that the Vancouver Canucks couldnt wait to get rid of Roberto Luongo or, more specifically, his contract that runs through 2021-22. Now that hes gone back to Florida to play for the Panthers, there is probably some appreciation for a guy who gave Vancouver some really good years. From 2006-2007 through 2013-2014, Luongo posted a .919 save percentage in 448 games for the Canucks, which ranked him among the leagues best in the time. The Canucks rolled out a video montage to show their appreciation, then got to watch Luongo stop 32 of 33 shots to help Florida to a 3-1 win. WORLD JUNIOR STARS The World Junior Hockey Championships are a great showcase for young hockey talent, and this years event was no different. What was interesting, however, is that some of the best players in the tournament, were players that had not been drafted by NHL clubs. Slovakian goaltender Denis Godla was named Best Goalkeeper after he turned back 224 of 242 shots (.926 SV%) to help Slovakia win a bronze medal, their second-ever medal in this event. Small samples can make goaltenders look better than they really are, but given how difficult it is to secure talent between the pipes, there should be opportunities ahead for Godla. The winner of Best Defenceman in the tournament was Russians Vladislav Gavrikov, a 19-year-old who is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and while he doesnt have a lot of KHL experience -- three games -- Gavrikov will also garner interest. The Best Forward at this years tournament was Canadas Max Domi, the 12th overall pick by the Coyotes in the 2013 Draft. Domi thrived on the wing, playing with Sam Reinhart and Anthony Duclair, and finished the tournament with 10 points (5 G, 5 A) in seven games. The tournament All-Star team, selected by the media, included Godla (also named MVP) and Domi. They were joined by three Canadians -- defenceman Josh Morrissey and centres Sam Reinhart and Connor McDavid -- and defenceman Gustav Forsling of Sweden. Forsling was a fifth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks last summer and finished the tournament with eight points (3 G, 5 A) in seven games. Hes been playing for Linkoping in the Swedish Hockey League, where he has five points, and is plus-3, in 29 games. Morrissey, picked 13th overall by Winnipeg in 2013, has 21 points (7 G, 14 A) and is minus-9 in 27 games for Prince Albert in the Western Hockey League this year , but also played 28 AHL (regular season plus playoff) games late last season, so hes likely going to get a good look for an NHL spot next season. Reinhart, the second overall pick last summer, was overmatched while playing with Buffalo early in the season, but he went back to the WHL, where he has 27 points (8 G, 19 A) in 15 games for Kootenay and anchored Canadas best line in the tournament, putting up 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in seven games. McDavid, touted as the top prospect for the 2015 Draft, lived up to the hype, posting 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in seven games. Not bad for a 17-year-old who was coming back from a broken hand. McDavid has 51 points (16 G, 35 A) in 18 games with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League this season. BACK TO JUNIOR Anthony Duclair, who spent the first part of the season with the New York Rangers before he was loaned to Team Canada, was returned to the Quebec League, where he has rejoined the Quebec Remparts. Duclair had seven points (1 G, 6 A) and has solid enough possession stats (51.4% Corsi, +1.1% Relative Corsi) in 18 games for the Rangers, then scored eight points (4 G, 4 A) in seven games at the World Juniors. The 2013 third-round pick becomes a huge addition for Quebec, a team that already has the third-best record in the league. The Edmonton Oilers, who have been busy making roster changes, decided to send Leon Draisaitl back to the Western Hockey League, after not letting him play for Germany at the World Juniors. Draisaitl, the third overall pick last summer, had nine points (2 G, 7 A) and solid possession (52.1% Corsi, +3.6% Relative Corsi) in heavily-sheltered usage for the Oilers, but as the Oilers season appeared to be headed for the lottery, its not unreasonable to give Draisaitl a half season of heavy usage with a good team in the Western Hockey League to develop his offensive game further. Draisaitl joins the Kelowna Rockets, a team that already has the best record in the WHL, so they have to be considered strong Memorial Cup contenders. BLUES ERUPT Winding up last week, the St. Louis Blues had lost six of seven a slide that started with goaltender Brian Elliott out of the lineup and continued beyond his return. Then, this week, the Blues busted out with two 7-2 wins against San Jose, sandwiched around a 6-0 win against Arizona and, suddenly, half the team is hot. Since December 5, the Blues have scored 60 goals in 15 games, easily leading the league in that time. RIP J.P. PARISE J.P. Parise, the former NHLer who played for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series, died at age 73. Parise scored 594 points (238 G, 356 A) in 890 NHL games, mostly with the Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders. After retiring, he was an assistant coach for the North Stars before running the hockey program at Shattuck-St. Marys prep school. Parises son, Zach Parise, is a star forward for the Minnesota Wild and, naturally, the loss has hit him hard. Hockey was our thing, Parise said. Him coming to every game or watching every game and talking to him after every game and talking hockey, thats not there anymore. CONCUSSION LAWSUIT The NHL attempted to get a concussion lawsuit, brought by former players, dismissed in federal court. U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson didnt make a ruling but said, I think its a very close call, to be honest. On one hand, the NHL argues that the collective bargaining agreement should take precedence and that this claim is coming after the statute of limitations has passed. The players counter by saying that the CBA doesnt apply to former players and that players didnt know how their injuries would affect them long-term. This suit doesnt necessarily seem like its making great headway, but it wasnt dismissed out-of-hand, either. If Nelson decides that the suit can proceed, well, then the arguments will have to get much more serious because big money will be involved. Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca John Matuszak Youth Jersey .J. - Several people have collapsed in an overcrowded New Jersey train station while waiting in long lines to get to the Super Bowl. Trayvon Mullen Jersey .35 million. The right-hander had agreed last February to a deal that pays him $3.775 million this year and allows him to earn an additional $225,000 in bonuses based on games finished. http://www.footballraidersmall.com/Youth...l-Elite-Jersey/. The Arena das Dunas in the northeastern city of Natal sustained minor damage during the protests, but demonstrators stayed away on Sunday and officials said the stadium passed its first test, with only minor adjustments needed going forward. John Matuszak Womens Jersey . The 28-year-old lefty made his MLB debut in 2013, making 10 starts and going 2-5 with 4.05 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Albers was named the Twins organizations minor league pitcher of the year for 2013. Fred Biletnikoff Womens Jersey . Didnt need any help this time. Wood beat Cincinnati for the first time in his career, repeatedly pitching out of threats for seven innings, and Chicago stalled the Reds week-long surge with a 2-0 victory Monday night.Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle said forward Daniel Winnik is 100 per cent fine after being stretched off the ice in the first period of Thursday nights loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Less than one minute into the first period, Winnik was checked by Avalanche defenceman Jan Hejda while trying to enter the offensive zone. He collided head-first into the ice and lay motionless several minutes before being removed from the ice by medical staff. The Toronto Maple Leafs later announced Winnik had not been transported to hosspital and was moving all of his extremities.dddddddddddd During the first intermission, Leafs defenceman Stephane Robidas told TSNs Mark Masters that Winnik was walking in the teams dressing room. Winnik, who signed a one-year contract with the Leafs prior to this season, has one goal and six assists in 12 games with the team. Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner also left Thursdays game in the first period after blocking a shot off his left knee. Carlyle said following the loss Gardiner sustained a bone bruise. ' ' '