Philadelphia Flyers Daily Clips – May 19, 2014

FLYERS Headlines

1. Philadelphia Inquirer - Hextall's journey through hockey 2. Philadelphia Daily News - Flyers' Cup drought defies odds 3. Philadelphia Daily News - Flyers' Snider: I want to celebrate again 4. Philadelphia Daily News - Gustafsson bolts Flyers for Russia 5. CSNPhilly.com - NHL Notes: Umberger reportedly wants trade 6. Camden Courier-Post - 40 years ago, Flyers won first Cup NHL Headlines

1. NHL.com - Crawford makes 25 saves, Blackhawks beat Kings 3-1 in Game 1 of Western Conference final 2. NHL.com - Canadiens' Price uncertain for Game 2 vs. Rangers 3. NHL.com - Worlds: Ovechkin injured; U.S. beats Finland 4. NHL.com - Rangers mourn with St. Louis at mother's funeral 5. TSN.ca – Post to Post : Crawford outstanding as Blackhawks take Game 1 6. TSN.ca – Ovechkin hospitalized after suffering leg injury at WHC 7. ESPN.com - Alex Ovechkin taken to the hospital 8. ESPN.com - Coach: Derick Brassard day to day 9. ESPN.com - Unsung Crawford steps up again 10. CBC.ca - 30 Thoughts: Cap increase won't ease Penguins' dilemma 11. Toronto Star - Carey Price question lingers for Canadiens: Arthur FLYERS Headlines

1. Philadelphia Inquirer - Hextall's journey through hockey

Sam Carchidi

As he waited to be selected in the 1982 draft, a budding young goalie named Ron Hextall had particular disdain for one NHL team. The Flyers. Growing up and watching the Flyers try to intimidate his father and uncle - feisty NHL players during the Broad Street Bullies' heyday - Hextall did not have a warm and fuzzy feeling about the Orange and Black. "I absolutely hated them," he said from his Voorhees office last week, five days after he got what he called his "dream job" - becoming the seventh general manager in Flyers history. When he was 18 and working a summer job at an auto dealership, Hextall was changing the oil on a car when he received a phone call and learned that the Flyers had drafted him in the sixth round. Little did he know that it would be a life-changing development. "You think you hate a team - and I did at the time - but what I didn't realize [is that] I had a strong admiration for them as well," Hextall said, smiling at the memory. "And all of a sudden, when I got drafted by them, it was almost like an instant love affair with the Flyers. It was actually pretty ironic." Hextall, who as an assistant general manager played a part in the Los Angeles Kings' 2012 Stanley Cup championship, has impressive NHL bloodlines. His grandfather, Bryan Hextall Sr., was a Hall of Fame right winger with the New York Rangers who twice led the league in goals. Hextall's father, Bryan Jr., a center,

played for five NHL teams before his career ended in 1976; and his uncle, Dennis, was a two-time all-star left winger with the old Minnesota North Stars whose penalty-filled, 12-year career ended in 1980 with Washington. "I wasn't born yet when my grandfather was playing, and I was pretty young when my dad played," Hextall said. "I was 12 years old when my dad retired. I would hear things about my grandfather and would certainly talk to him. I'd visit with him in the summertime." He paused. "The nerve of him to actually be wearing a New York Rangers jersey!" Hextall was 20 when his grandfather died in 1984 at age 70. "He was a quiet man who didn't say a lot, but when he spoke, you listened," Hextall said. "He didn't talk a lot about his playing days, but he would always tell my dad and uncle, 'You can't score from the penalty box.' " That, apparently, was his not-too-subtle way of saying they needed to play with more discipline. Hextall, 50, said his father was his biggest influence in steering him toward hockey. "He didn't put pressure on me to be a hockey player. There was no pushing or prodding," Hextall said. "All he said was, 'If you want to play hockey, great. All I ask is you work hard.' " Hextall, who helped the development of goalies Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier (now with Toronto) when he was an assistant GM in Los Angeles, played 11 of his 13 NHL seasons with the Flyers. "I wanted to be like my dad. And I had the exposure to it just from being around an NHL team as a kid, and skating around with the guys," Hextall said, adding that he and his brother would "watch practice, and skate before and after practice. The players would fool around with us on the ice. I think from a young age, I knew what I wanted to do just because of the fact I was around the lifestyle and the excitement." Jim Rutherford, now president of the Carolina Hurricanes, was a Penguins goalie - and Bryan Hextall Jr.'s teammate - in the early 1970s when he first met Ron. "Jimmy actually came out in the street and used to play roller hockey with my brother and I, so he had a huge impact on me," Hextall said. Rutherford, one of the NHL's most respected general managers before being elevated to club president last month, and Hextall have remained in contact over the last several decades. "He'll do extremely well. He did it the right way and didn't rush into it," Rutherford said. "He clearly served his apprenticeship under such good people in L.A. He's well-prepared, and it's been fun for me to watch his career grow." As a youngster, Hextall and his family got used to moving, depending on where his father was playing. They lived in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Detroit, and Minneapolis. "It was tough. Always being the new kid in school because, we started out school in our hometown of Brandon in Manitoba, and then we'd move in late October to wherever we were going," Hextall said. "It had its challenges, but I think part of that makes you stronger, too. You've got to go to a new school and meet all new people and a new hockey team, so there are some benefits, but there were times it was tough. And there were

trades, too. You kind of got settled in somewhere, and all of a sudden you get traded midyear and you have to pick up and move - a new school and new hockey team and all that. "It had its challenges, but I think there were more benefits than negatives." When Hextall was named Flyers GM, one of the first people he called was his father. His parents live in Victoria, British Columbia, during the winter and spring and in Manitoba for the rest of the year. "He was excited for me, and so was my mom. My mom and dad are probably my biggest fans; they give me a lot of support," Hextall said. "They always have. Obviously, I've got my wife and kids as well, but going way back to childhood, they have to be your biggest supporters if you're going to be a hockey player. Someone said to me the other day that minor-league hockey is a lifestyle, and it truly is for the parents; pretty much your weekends are tied up for six or seven months, or nowadays maybe even more." Hextall and his wife, Diane, live in South Jersey and have four children: Kristin, 28; Brett, 26; Rebecca, 21; and Jeff, 18. Brett and Jeff hope to continue to extend the Hextalls' NHL lineage. Brett, a right wing drafted by Phoenix in the sixth round of the 2008 draft, had 11 goals for Portland in the AHL this season. "He came on toward the end of the year, so we'll see how it goes," Hextall said. "He plays hard." Jeff just graduated from Northwood in Lake Placid, N.Y. He is eligible for this year's draft and is a goaltender - much to his father's chagrin. "I'm not sure where that's going," Hextall said of his son's hockey future. "Actually, I'm not sure how he got into the net. That was my wife's fault. I said no [to his being a] goalie, and I went away on a 10- or 12-day road trip, and I came back and had a goalie when he was 121/2 or 13 years old. He had a late start on it, but he's doing OK." As for his own goals, Hextall said that when he stopped playing in 1999 he set his sights on working his way up the ranks and becoming a general manger. He said he was fortunate to work under executives such as Bob Clarke and Paul Holmgren with the Flyers, and his unofficial mentor, Dean Lombardi, in Los Angeles. "I think," he said, "I'm ready for this position." Rutherford thinks so, too. The Hurricanes president remembers living next door to the Hextall family when he played goalie for Pittsburgh in the 1970s. "We saw each other every day, and like all kids he wanted to play ball hockey," Rutherford said. "You could see right from then that he hated to lose, and when you think back to when he was a player, he had the same thinking instilled in him." Hextall takes that thinking to the front office, where he will try to become the first Flyers general manager since Keith Allen in 1975 - back when the future GM watched painfully as his father's and uncle's teams got pushed around by the Flyers - to build a Stanley Cup champion.

2. Philadelphia Daily News - Flyers' Cup drought defies odds

Rich Hofmann

THERE WAS a great goaltender, and an underappreciated amount of skill, and it was all cradled lovingly in a clenched fist. Those were the Flyers who won the Stanley Cup, 40 years ago. They won, and they won again, and they might have won a third consecutive time if the goaltender, Bernie Parent, had not been injured. And then, well, you know. The Parent injury, Leon Stickle, the Edmonton dynasty, the choking situation, the Lindros controversy, Michael Leighton apparently missing the lesson about acute angles in geometry class - to repeat, you know. The wonder of '74 is becoming faded by time and overshadowed by the fallow decades since - and by the odds-defying absurdity of it all. Because, in the years since they won their two Cups, the Flyers have the highest regular-season winning percentage in the National Hockey League: Flyers, .572, Canadiens, .568, Bruins, .565. They have done that but they have not won again. This chart is jaw-dropping. It lists the team with the highest winning percentage since 1975 in each of the four major sports, along with the number of championships those teams have won since. NBA Lakers. . . 10 MLB Yankees. . . 7 NFL Steelers. . . 6 NHL Flyers. . . 0 While it is true that the correlation between regular-season winning and championships is less in hockey than the other sports - because of the whole hot-goaltender thing, among other reasons - this list remains stunning. The Canadiens, second to the Flyers, have won six times. The Bruins, next in line, won only once. The Bruins were essentially the same team as the Flyers with the same success since the mid-'70s - but they finally won a couple of years ago, and you can argue that they won because they had more shots at it with big defenseman Zdeno Chara than the Flyers did with Chris Pronger. Regardless, the zero is still the zero. It just sits there, winking at you, testing your belief in the law of averages. Zero. It ought to be impossible, when you think about it. The Flyers should have won another one by accident. They have the highest winning percentage in that time. They have played the most playoff games in that time. They have played more games in the conference finals/semifinals than anybody in that time. And the list goes on, as they say. But no championships. Because of that, the memories seem mostly to be in black-and-white, even though they aren't: the skating of the Cup through a crowd of fans who had leapt onto the ice at the Spectrum; the gigantic parade, where the pictures of the crowds pushing up against the vehicles seem to dwarf even the massive numbers for the Phillies' parade in 2008; the crowds in general, because they were an integral part of the thing. The connection between team and town and time was just about perfect on the one hand and just about unpredicted on the other hand. The NHL had been in the city for less than a decade, and the players were all Canadians, and the coach was this mysterious character - but it all worked, and the bond was forged, probably because a tough city felt validated somehow by this tough team. So many of the 1974 players made their homes in this area after retiring that the thread tying them to the fans was never broken. It is one reason why the fans have remained so loyal - that and one other thing. The figures are not available, but along with the winning percentage and the playoff games and conference finals and the

rest, the Flyers likely lead in another NHL category since 1975: money spent on salaries. If they aren't at the top, they're right there. It is why players have always liked to come here, and still do. It is why fans have never abandoned this team, despite the disappointments. And if the Flyers' biggest sin has been impatience - and it has been - it is not exactly uncommon in the NHL, a league where dozens of players annually change teams near the trade deadline, more than any other sport. But the salary cap has made it harder in recent years. Their financial advantage is not gone but it has been mitigated - and it shows in the standings. Also, the truth is that they still have not figured out the best way to play the game since the rules were changed following the 2004-05 lockout. The thing is obviously evolving, and changes a little every year, but the Flyers have become a below-average defensive team since the game was opened up - and defense still wins the Cup most years. Some of that has been the goaltender, yes - but only some. In the 10 years before the rules were changed, the Flyers' average rank in goals against was sixth. In the 9 years since the rules changes, their average rank has been 19th. This season, they were 20th, when only a ton of third-period comebacks got them into the playoffs at all. The immediate future seems predicated now on a group of kid defensemen who might or might not be nearing NHL readiness. Looking back 40 years, it seemed simpler somehow. But that's always true when you already know the ending. 3. Philadelphia Daily News - Flyers' Snider: I want to celebrate again

FLYERS CHAIRMAN Ed Snider recently shared his thoughts about the 40th anniversary of the team's first Stanley Cup. Here are some excerpts from the conference call: Q: When May 19, 1974, pops into your head, what's the first image that you remember that day? A: My brain isn't that good that I can remember that, but I can tell you that the tension of a game 1-0 like that, it's pretty amazing. It was like constant tension throughout the game, and the relief when we finally won and when Bobby Orr was called for the penalty . . . it was mind-boggling that this could really possibly happen. The reason it was so mind-boggling - we had a good record during the regular season, but Boston, as you know, owned us up until then. The fact that we were able to beat them in six games to me is still the most amazing thing I can remember. Q: Most of the players on those two teams say the first win was thrilling and then '75 was deeply satisfying. Were those your sentiments at the time and do you feel that way today? A: I do. And I might add that I thought the next year, the team that ended in '76, was the best team of that era. That was the year that all of Canada was rooting for us when we beat the Russians. Then of course we lost Bernie [Parent, to a neck injury] . . . I think we would have won three, four, five Cups in a row with Bernie in net. Q: Summarize how you did it - how you won a Stanley Cup within 7 years of the franchise's birth. A: Well, Keith Allen was the best general manager I think of all time . . . He wanted to build with our kids, our draft picks, with the kids that we got in the expansion draft, with the players that we got in the regular draft. Q: Every May 19, do you think of this? Do you celebrate?

A: No. It's ancient history. I have wonderful memories, but that celebration is long gone. I want to celebrate again someday.

4. Philadelphia Daily News - Gustafsson bolts Flyers for Russia

Frank Seravalli

WITHOUT AS much as a phone call, Flyers defenseman Erik Gustafsson bolted for Russia. For Gustafsson, the writing apparently was on the wall. In addition to acquiring Andrew MacDonald last season before the trade deadline, coach Craig Berube decided to use 39-year-old Hal Gill over him for Game 5 against the Rangers, with Nick Grossmann out. Yesterday, while skating for Sweden in the World Championships in Belarus, word leaked out that Gustafsson will join Avangard Omsk in Russia's KHL next season. The news, first reported by Sports.ru's Igor Eronko, caught the Flyers by surprise. "I spoke with Erik and he informed me that he does, in fact, have a deal in place to play overseas," general manager Ron Hextall said. "Although we are disappointed in his decision, we wish him all the best." Gustafsson, 25, will leave the Flyers short of a young, inexpensive blueliner. He was set to become a restricted free agent again this summer. He earned $1 million last year in his first full season in the NHL, but appeared in only 31 games - one above his career-high mark set in a year he shuttled between the AHL and NHL. In Omsk, he likely will earn more money and a guaranteed top-six role. He is currently skating on Sweden's top defensive pair in the World Championships. According to a team report, the Flyers will extend a qualifying offer to Gustafsson this summer for $1,050,000, which will retain his rights for next season should he decide to return to the NHL. He could rejoin the team before Dec. 1 to be eligible for the season. The Flyers had interest in keeping Gustafsson on the roster for next season, even though it was unlikely he would crack the top three pairings, which are mostly already set. His sudden departure does decrease the flexibility Hextall had to move one of those top six defensemen without a return in the same position. One bright spot is the Flyers now have room for a prospect on their roster, including either Shayne Gostisbehere or Robert Hagg. Hextall made it clear in his initial news conference that he will not rush prospects to the NHL, but the Flyers have a need for substantial contributors who are small chips on their salary cap next season. 5. CSNPhilly.com - NHL Notes: Umberger reportedly wants trade

CSNPhilly.com

Former Flyer R.J. Umberger is coming off a disappointing season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 32-year-old posted 18 goals and 34 points, but was a healthy scratch four times during a seven-game stretch while the Jackets were fighting for a playoff spot late in the season.

Apparently that was enough for Umberger to request a trade out of Columbus. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports Umberger and the Blue Jackets have agreed he should be dealt and the team will do its part to move him this summer. Umberger still has three years remaining on his contract and carries a $4.6 million cap hit. Portzline also reported it's unlikely the Jackets will buy out his contract. After four seasons in the Flyers' organization, Umberger was traded to Columbus on June 20, 2008 in exchange for two draft picks. During his six-year tenure with the Jackets, the veteran forward has posted 120 goals and 130 assists in 445 games. -CSNPhilly.com 6. Camden Courier-Post - 40 years ago, Flyers won first Cup

Dave Isaac

Jim Watson remembers it all like it was yesterday, although "a lot of things have happened since then." After the Flyers beat the New York Rangers 4-3 in a decisive Game 7 in 1974, he walked out of the now-demolished Spectrum with his fellow defenseman and older brother, Joe. "OK, Joe," said Jim, a rookie, "now the real fun starts. We get the finals with Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito." The fun really began a couple weeks later, 40 years ago today, when the Flyers beat Orr, Esposito and the rest of the Boston Bruins for the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. After scoring the game's only goal in the first period of Game 6, the Flyers held on for dear life. "It was like constant tension throughout the game, and the relief when we finally won and when Bobby Orr was called for the penalty," team chairman Ed Snider said. "It was mind-boggling that this could really possibly happen." "That's what I thought about when I sat down in the locker room afterward," Jim Watson added. "I thought, 'I can't believe this came true.' That's all I ever dreamt of was playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup in the NHL. I realized both my dreams." Snider and his wife were sitting in a Spectrum Superbox with then-general manager Keith Allen and his wife when broadcaster Gene Hart uttered the defining words of the franchise. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Flyers are going to win ... the Stanley Cup! The Flyers win the Stanley Cup! The Flyers win the Stanley Cup!" "Beating the New York Rangers in seven games, which might have been the toughest series I've ever seen, led me to believe that we had a chance," Snider said. "I wasn't optimistic by any stretch of the imagination. I just felt that we were playing so well that we had a chance. With Boston having the home ice advantage, I didn't think we were going to be able to do it." The Flyers won that first championship on their home ice, before the Bruins could use home-ice advantage as an edge in Game 7.

What made that first Stanley Cup team click was leadership, according to Watson. It's what allowed the Flyers to repeat in 1975, beating the Buffalo Sabres in six games. "That started with Ed Snider and Keith Allen and (coach) Fred Shero and when you got to the players, (captain) Bobby Clarke was a tremendous leader," said Watson, who had a goal and two assists from the blueline in the Flyers' first Cup run. "Not only was (Clarke) the best leader in hockey, I would have to say in all sports. Nobody laid down the line like Bob Clarke and nobody worked harder than Bob Clarke." Since the Flyers' second Stanley Cup in 1975, they've made six trips to the finals and lost them all. Their failures there have little to do with leadership. "It's very frustrating," said Snider, who rarely wears his two Stanley Cup rings. "Everyone wants to win the Cup and as the years go by it's gotten more and more difficult because there's more and more teams. There's more and more parity. The quality of the executives around the league is outstanding, the coaching." Unsurprisingly, the game has evolved since 1975. Watson isn't even sure how his championship teammates would do if they had to play in 2014, although he thinks their hard work and dedication wouldn't have been matched. "Would our skill level be at this level? No," Watson said. "I think the game today is a better game. Our game was a wonderful game back then. It was the best in the world, but the game has continued to improve. You need to shoot the puck so much harder now. The goalies are so much better. The equipment is quite a bit larger. The athletes, their training now is phenomenal." Year after ,the Flyers have trotted out their team of champions, the revered Broad St. Bullies, to remind fans that despite every playoff result since the U.S. Bicentennial, winning it all is possible. "I think that's because of the great relationship we have with the Flyers fans," said Watson, a co-owner of a rink in Aston, Pa. "It's been a real mutual love between the players and fans and organization. That keeps it on the front burner." In recent years, that act has become old with some fans. They've yearned for a new champion and the chairman has done his best to oblige. "I couldn't believe it would be this long," said the 81-year-old Snider. "I constantly hear that we haven't won since 1975. Well, a lot of teams haven't won since 1975, but even more important, we've been in the finals, and that's pretty damn good. If the Phillies get to the World Series, everybody's excited. If the Sixers get to the NBA championship, everybody's excited. If the Eagles get to the Super Bowl, everybody's excited. But then you've got to win it. And we haven't. And of course, it's frustrating." NHL Headlines

1. NHL.com - Crawford makes 25 saves, Blackhawks beat Kings 3-1 in Game 1 of Western Conference

final

The Canadian Press Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks had plenty of questions after they had a goal disallowed in Game 1 of the Western Conference final. Corey Crawford left no doubt about his play. Crawford made 25 saves, Toews had a big goal in the third period and the Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 Sunday for their third consecutive victory. "Confidence has always been there," Crawford said. "Really the first thing is being prepared, having that preparation to try and have my game at the highest level it can be each time I get out there." He is on quite a roll right now, allowing only one goal in each of the past three games. The 29-year-old Crawford leads the NHL with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in the playoffs. "I think Crow just keeps getting better and better," Toews said. "As a team, you want to keep raising your level of play as the stage gets bigger and bigger. But I think if there's anyone that's doing that, it's Crow." Brandon Saad had a goal and an assist for defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago, which remained perfect in seven home playoff games this year. Duncan Keith had a tiebreaking score in the third period. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night. Playing just two days after a Game 7 victory over Anaheim, the Kings got a second-period score from Tyler Toffoli and outshot the Blackhawks 26-20 in the opener of a rematch of last year's Western Conference final. But Crawford made a couple of solid stops in another terrific performance. "I think we can do a better of getting in front of the net and make it harder on their goalie because we had some pretty good shots, but nobody was hanging around, so he was able to see everything," Kings centre Anze Kopitar said. With the Blackhawks clinging to a 2-1 lead in the third, Toews, Marian Hossa and Johnny Oduya got loose on a 3-on-1 break. Toews one-timed Oduya's pass by Jonathan Quick for his sixth playoff goal at 16:10. Quick made 17 saves after he played a key role in Los Angeles' rally from a 3-2 deficit in the series against the Ducks. The Kings also battled back from a 3-0 hole against San Jose in the first round. "We had a chance," Los Angeles forward Mike Richards said. "We shot ourselves in the foot a bit on their goals, and give them credit, they're an opportunistic team. But we made a couple of mistakes and it ended up in our net." Toews' 26th career playoff goal came after he had one waved off in a confusing stretch in the second period. It looked as if Chicago had a 2-0 lead when Toews' rush to the net resulted in the puck going in off the skate of Kings defenceman Slava Voynov. But the goal was waved off after a conference by the officials, prompting a round of boos from the crowd of 21,832 and a waving, yelling display from Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville.

According to the NHL, the original call of good goal was changed because the officials decided Toews made incidental contact with Quick before the puck crossed the goal line. The league said the ruling was not reviewable, so the call on the ice remained in place. The sequence seemed to wake up the Kings while deflating the Blackhawks. Los Angeles got its first goal about a minute later, with Tanner Pearson making a terrific pass to the middle to Toffoli for his fourth of the playoffs at 4:35. "I thought we lost a little momentum there," Quenneville said. The Kings then had a couple of chances to take the lead, but Crawford stepped up each time. He denied Kyle Clifford on a 2-on-1 break with 13:42 remaining, and stopped Marian Gaborik and Dustin Brown in rapid succession midway through the period. Crawford's solid play bought Chicago some time to shake off the disallowed goal, and it paid off when Keith's slap shot went off the stick of Kings forward Trevor Lewis and bounced past Quick for a 2-1 lead at 11:54. Crawford made another big save on Jeff Carter in the first minute of the third, and Toffoli had a backhander go off the outside of the right post on a breakaway in the final period. The Blackhawks turned a bad roughing penalty by Kings defenceman Alec Martinez into Saad's power-play goal with 5:14 left in the first. The Kings had a prime scoring chance with 2:42 to go in the period, but Nick Leddy tied up Richards at the end of a 2-on-1 break. NOTES: Kings D Willie Mitchell was active for the first time since Game 6 of Los Angeles' first-round series against San Jose, but D Robyn Regehr remained out with an injury. He has missed the Kings' last seven games. ... Chicago killed off two power-play chances and is 44 for 48 on the kill in the playoffs. ... Blackhawks D Michal Rozsival was active after he was a healthy scratch for the last two games of their second-round series against Minnesota.

2. NHL.com - Canadiens' Price uncertain for Game 2 vs. Rangers

Arpon Basu

On the southeast corner of Bell Centre stands a photo of Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price that is six or seven stories high. He is larger than life here. And a cornerstone. And possibly injured. One game into the Eastern Conference Final, Price's health has become the biggest story in the series. And how he might have been injured, if indeed he is, ranks a close second. Canadiens coach Michel Therrien would not confirm Sunday that Price will play in Game 2 of the series against the New York Rangers on Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, RDS). The Rangers lead the best-of-7 series 1-0. Price skated for approximately five minutes with goaltender coach Stephane Waite an hour prior to practice Sunday, working on his lateral movement before leaving the ice and missing the Canadiens' optional skate. "Carey had a therapy day," Therrien said. "We'll see if he can play the game [Monday]." When asked later if he had any doubt about Price's ability to play, Therrien said it's too early to give a definitive answer.

"We'll see [Monday]," he said. "I can't tell you that right now." Price did not start the third period of the Canadiens' 7-2 loss in Game 1 of the series on Saturday. Price appeared to injure his right leg at 3:15 of the second period in a collision with Rangers forward Chris Kreider. Kreider was charging toward the net with great speed when he fell in front of Price and slammed into his right leg skates first. Price remained down for a few moments clutching at his right knee, but quickly got up and skated. He played the remainder of the period, but Therrien said after the game he decided not to use him in the third period to protect him because the Canadiens were not sharp. Price missed eight games coming out of the break for the 2014 Sochi Olympics due to a lower-body injury he aggravated while representing Canada and winning the gold medal in Russia. The team was very careful with his rehabilitation from the injury in order to make sure he would be prepared for the grind of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Prior to the Canadiens' morning skate for their first game back from the break against the Detroit Red Wings, Price held a similarly brief skate alone with Waite. He did not play for the next two weeks. "He's our best player," Canadiens backup goaltender Peter Budaj said. "He works hard, he's a competitor, he's a leader. "I'm sure we wouldn't be here without him. Hopefully he feels good and he's ready to go." Though Therrien said after the game that he felt it was an accident, he had a slightly different view of the play Sunday. "I reviewed the incident," he said. "Obviously it was an accidental contact. But let's put it this way, he didn't make much effort to avoid the contact." Former Ranger Brandon Prust went after Kreider while killing a penalty in the third period of Game 1, putting his stick between Kreider's legs, cross-checking him in front of the net and slashing him in the back of the leg, finally getting called for a penalty on the last infraction. Prust was also assessed a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and a 10-minute misconduct on the play. A day later, Prust's view of the play hadn't changed from how he felt during the game. "He went skates-first right into his leg," Prust said. "We know how to slide, we know how to fall. We're in the NHL and you're taught how to fall when you're five years old. I don't think he's a dirty player, but he did nothing to slow up or avoid him." Prust brought up a play from the Rangers' second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins to show that this is not the first time Kreider has been in this situation. In Game 6 of that series, Kreider was driving hard to the net when he was pushed from behind by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, forcing him to slouch forward a bit. Just as Kreider made contact with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury he went upright, bringing his arm into Fleury's head and then following through. Kreider received a goaltender interference penalty and Fleury was not injured on the play.

"Whatever he says, it's accidental, but it's accidentally on purpose," Prust said. "He did nothing to really avoid [it]. I mean in the NHL we know how to fall, we know how to not put our skates first when we fall. He did the same thing against Fleury in the last series. He's not doing anything to avoid it. Whether it's not totally intentional, he doesn't do anything to lighten it up." A few members of the Rangers spoke to the media Sunday after attending the funeral of France St. Louis, the mother of Martin St. Louis who passed away at the age of 63 on May 8. None were too enthusiastic to entertain accusations from the Canadiens toward Kreider, but all pointed to the situation in the game to show Kreider's focus was solely on trying to score a goal to increase his team's lead in the game. "Today I'm definitely not in the mood to pick a fight with anybody," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "Everybody's entitled to their opinion. I tend to believe that in a 2-0 game, guy going on a breakaway, he's trying to score." Not only was Vigneault not buying Montreal's accusations, he wasn't even buying the possibility that Price is injured. "I'm sure Price is going to be there," Vigneault said. "We're getting ready for him." "As far as I know, nobody said he's injured," Vigneault later added in French. "So he should be there." If he isn't, the spotlight will be thrust on Budaj for a second postseason in a row. Last year, Price was injured at the end of Game 4 of the Canadiens' first-round series against the Ottawa Senators, forcing Budaj to start the overtime period with Montreal down 2-1 in the series. Budaj allowed the second shot he faced past him to lose Game 4, then allowed six goals on 29 shots in a 6-1 loss in Game 5, ending the Canadiens' postseason. On Saturday, Budaj allowed a goal on the first shot he faced and gave up two more goals on the next seven shots in the third period. That makes for a .744 save percentage in parts of three playoff games in his Canadiens career. "It's the third round and that was the first round," Budaj said Sunday. "That's one thing, and the other thing is [Price] skated before us. A few guys didn't skate today, so we'll see. I don't know if I'm playing or not, but I'm certainly ready whenever I get a chance to play. Hopefully [Price] is alright. He skated before, so we'll see how he feels." There's an entire city, province, and perhaps even an entire country waiting to see how Price feels Monday. The fate of the Canadiens' playoff run might be resting on it. 3. NHL.com - Worlds: Ovechkin injured; U.S. beats Finland

NHL.com

Russia lost forward Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals to injury, but used a big third period to beat Germany 3-0 on Sunday and remain unbeaten at the 2014 IIHF World Championship. Ovechkin appeared to injure his right knee on a hit by German defenseman Marcus Kink at the Russian blue line in the second period. He reportedly stayed down for about two minutes and was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he was helped from the ice at Minsk Arena.

"We are aware that Alex Ovechkin sustained an injury during today's game vs. Germany," the Capitals said in a statement. "Our medical staff is working with Ovechkin and Team Russia to gather additional information at this time." Vadim Shipachyov broke a scoreless tie when he scored on the power play at 3:58 of the third period. Sergei Shirokov put Russia ahead 2-0 a little more than six minutes later, and Viktor Tikhonov sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 45 seconds remaining. Goalie Andrei Vasilevski made 27 saves to earn the shutout for Russia (6-0, 18 points), which has clinched the top seed from Group B. Goalie Philipp Grubauer, who is Ovechkin's teammate with the Capitals, stopped 28 of 31 shots for Germany (2-4, five points). Russia wraps up preliminary-round play against host Belarus on Tuesday, when the Germans face off against the United States. In other action Sunday: United States 3, Finland 1: Forward Tyler Johnson (Tampa Bay Lightning) scored twice and forward Brock Nelson (New York Islanders) opened the scoring 19 seconds into the first period to lead the U.S. to a 3-1 win against Finland in its penultimate preliminary-round game at Minsk Arena. With the win, the Americans clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, which begin Thursday. The U.S. struck early when defenseman Seth Jones (Nashville Predators) fired the puck into the zone from center ice. When Finland goaltender Pekka Rinne (Predators) went behind the net to retrieve the puck, it deflected off a stanchion and to Nelson, who tipped it in from the doorstep. "It was a crazy bounce," Nelson told the IIHF website. "We wanted to get pucks in deep right away. When I saw the puck come off the glass, I tried to get in front and get position on my guy and was able to tap it in. "We've seen a lot of weird bounces all over the ice in this tournament. You have to stick with it and sometimes they go your way. Tonight it did." Following a scoreless second period, Johnson's goal at 6:42 of the third gave the U.S. a 2-0 lead. Johnson advanced a pass from forward Craig Smith (Predators), and fired a wrist shot over Rinne's shoulder and into the top corner. Jones had the secondary assist to give him nine for the tournament. Finnish defenseman Tuukka Mantyla ended U.S. goalie Tim Thomas' (Dallas Stars) shutout bid with 3:14 remaining, but Johnson's empty-net goal clinched the game for the Americans. "We played much better on D," Thomas said. "We did what we had to do to keep the score down and get the win. I think a better result for me goes hand in hand with that. I don't think I was any better personally than I played in the other games. If you go back and analyze those 13 goals I gave up, there might be one or two that you'd consider really bad goals." Thomas made 22 saves for the U.S. (4-2, 11 points), which concludes its preliminary-round schedule Tuesday against Germany. Finland (3-3, eight points) returns to action Monday against Kazakhstan.

Canada 3, Sweden 2 (OT): Defenseman Ryan Ellis' (Predators) goal 2:38 into overtime lifted Canada (5-1, 15 points) past Sweden (5-1, 15 points) and into first place in Group A. The win was also a measure of revenge for Canada. In last year's tournament, Sweden defeated Canada 3-2 in a shootout in the quarterfinals and went on to win the gold medal on home ice. The Canadians are seeking their first gold medal since 2007. "I'm happy we won, but we have some things we have to clean up," Canadian goalie Ben Scrivens (Edmonton Oilers) told the IIHF website. "But we did enough to get the job done and get the win." Canada scored the winner seconds after Scrivens denied Swedish forward Dick Axelsson with a left skate save. Center Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg Jets) led a 2-on-1 rush and found Ellis, who tipped it through goalie Anders Nilsson (Islanders). "Good play by Scheifele," Ellis told the IIHF website. "The patience from Scheifele was unbelievable for such a young guy. He put it right on my tape and I just had to touch it." Sweden got goals from Joakim Lindstrom and Linus Klasen, but Lindstrom left the game in the third period with an undisclosed injury. Scrivens and Nilsson made 30 and 28 saves, respectively. "I thought it was an entertaining hockey game," Canada coach Dave Tippett said. "Both teams made some mistakes that led to chances. Both goalies played very well. We capitalized on a chance in overtime and got the win." Forward Brayden Schenn (Philadelphia Flyers) and defenseman Kevin Bieksa (Vancouver Canucks) added goals for Canada, who play Norway (2-3, seven points) Tuesday. Sweden completes its preliminary-round schedule against Italy (1-5, three points) Monday and will claim first place with a win and a Canada loss. Czech Republic 1, Norway 0: Vladimir Sobotka (St. Louis Blues) scored the game's only goal 39 seconds after it started to lift the Czech Republic to a 1-0 victory against Norway at Chizhovka Arena. Czech goalie Alexander Salak made 21 saves, including on a penalty shot by Ken Andre Olimb in the second period, to earn the shutout. Sobotka put the Czech Republic up 1-0 when he banged home a rebound after Norway goalie Steffen Soberg had made the initial stop against Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks). Soberg made 38 saves in the loss. The Czechs (3-3, 10 points) can lock up third place in Group A with a win against France in their preliminary-round finale Tuesday. Norway (2-4, seven points) still has a chance to finish fourth and advance to the quarterfinals, but it will need to beat Canada on Tuesday and get some help in other Group A action. 4. NHL.com - Rangers mourn with St. Louis at mother's funeral

Dan Rosen

Less than 24 hours after beating the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, reality punched back at the New York Rangers and perspective ruled the day.

Instead of practicing Sunday, the Rangers traveled to Laval, Quebec, to attend the funeral of Martin St. Louis' mother, France, who passed away on May 8 from a heart attack. She was 63 years old. Players, coaches, management and other staff members all went to be there for their mourning teammate, who has played through grief and has four points, including two goals, in four games (all wins) since his mother died. St. Louis scored the first goal in the Rangers' 7-2 win on Saturday. Upon returning to Bell Centre to speak with the media in the afternoon, the players and coach Alain Vigneault talked about the emotions of the day, the sorrow they felt, and trying to push past it all so they can prepare for Game 2, which is Monday at 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN, CBC, RDS). "What I can say is that the New York Rangers family has been touched by a little Quebec family in a deep, profound way," Vigneault said. "[Sunday] was very emotional, very moving time for our team to have the opportunity to be there and to share that with Marty and his family. Marty took the stand, or the podium, however you want to call it, and shared some incredible moments. It was a very deep message and it was a challenging day for us." Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi said the team would have figured out a way to attend the funeral no matter where it was, even if the Rangers were in Boston for the Eastern Conference Final, because of the emotional pull to be there for St. Louis. They didn't have to go far since Laval is located just north of Montreal. "Everybody wants to be there to support him as best we can; the one way to do it is to show up," defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. "You don't need to say much to him. You know what he's going through. You just want to let him see you, make sure he knows you're there and if there's anything we can do, he knows where he can find us." Vigneault praised St. Louis for getting up and speaking at the funeral, calling him "a much better man than I am to be able to do something like that." "You can just see it in his eyes, there's pain there for sure as you could only imagine, but the way he approached it was to look at the good things, the good times, the memories, and he shared a couple of those with us during the service," McDonagh said. "You could just tell she was a great lady and influenced him a lot." McDonagh, like many of the Rangers, didn't know France St. Louis. He only met Martin for the first time when he arrived in New York on March 5, NHL Trade Deadline day, through a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. St. Louis has since become a fixture in the dressing room and one of the leaders of the team. His new teammates have expressed the utmost respect for him, especially for the professionalism he has shown over these past nine days. "I think we all know this will probably hit him when hockey is over and he has time to reflect, but he's done an unbelievable job keeping everything together and helping his sister and his dad get through this," said center Brad Richards, one of three Rangers (Dominic Moore and Benoit Pouliot) who previously played with St. Louis in Tampa Bay. "You wouldn't expect anything else." The Rangers have openly talked about how they are trying to rally around St. Louis' emotion and use what he's going through as motivation to keep playing in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are 4-0 since his mother passed.

On Sunday, though, they talked about being cognizant of going too far with that rallying cry because nothing they do on the ice or off is going to change the fact that the St. Louis family is in mourning. "I think just the biggest thing is it made Marty get to know the guys, the group and the organization a lot quicker than he would have if that didn't happen," Richards said. "He felt the organization was there to support him. We felt how passionate he was coming back and playing. I think it just made us get closer to him. He really feels like he's a Ranger now with what he went through and everybody behind him." Vigneault suggested that the fact that the Rangers are still playing has helped the St. Louis family through the grieving process. "His family, his sister and his father, his aunts and uncles, and everybody that's close to him, I think what they're doing is they're moving on through our team," Vigneault said. "The fact that we're still playing is enabling them to cope and handle this challenging situation." Now the Rangers have to move on from what was a challenging day. Despite their heavy hearts, they have to refocus on hockey to get ready for Game 2. Vigneault said it shouldn't be a problem. "[Monday] morning we're going to practice and we're going to start focusing on what we need to do hockey-wise. That's the only thing we can do," he said. "[Sunday] is a day we think about Marty and his family and his mother, and [Monday] life goes on and we've gotta get ready for a big game." 5. TSN.ca – Post to Post : Crawford outstanding as Blackhawks take Game 1

Jamie McLennan

Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks (5) –Crawford does not get enough credit for what he does for the Blackhawks. He was sharp early with saves on Richards and Gaborik in the first period and his positioning was outstanding, making it look easy. He made big saves at the right time as well; huge saves on Clifford and Gaborik with the score tied 1-1, kept the Blackhawks in the game. His great crease play on Carter in the third was also key in keeping the lead. Crawford got some help from the post on the Toffoli breakaway, but his aggressive stick forces Toffoli to bobble it. Overall, he was dialed in today and a big reason they won. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings (3) - Quick was solid today. He didn't have much of a chance on the three goals against; the first goal was a screen/ tip, second was a tip that skipped up and went top shelf, and the third was a three-on-one that Toews makes a great shot backdoor. He fought a lot of traffic all game long as Bickell set up shop in his crease and the Blackhawks drove the net hard every chance they had. He did a very good job stopping shots by Kane, Oduya and Hossa shots with traffic in front of the net. It was evident the Blackhawks game plan was to get traffic in front of him and make his life miserable. 6. TSN.ca – Ovechkin hospitalized after suffering leg injury at WHC

The Canadian Press

Alex Ovechkin has been hospitalized with an apparent right leg injury suffered during Russia's game with Germany at the world hockey championship Sunday. Coach Oleg Znarok would not reveal anything about Ovechkin's injury other than to say he was taken to a local hospital. Znarok said information would be released later.

"Of course it's scary. We hope he's healthy and can play," said former Winnipeg Jets forward Alex Burmistrov. Ovechkin took an open-ice hit from Marcus Kink that appeared to make contact with his right knee, then flipped over and remained on the ice. The Russian captain and Washington Capitals star was down for two minutes before needing to be helped off by teammates, putting no pressure on his right leg. Ovechkin was injured in the third period of Russia's 3-0 victory and did not return. "I hope nothing is wrong with him. I hope he is fine. You never want to see that," said German goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who is also a teammate of Ovechkin. "We need him in Washington. He had 51 goals this year, he is one of the best players in the world so we need him up in Washington." There have been over 30 injuries at this tournament, but Ovechkin's could turn out to be the most significant. Kink refused comment when asked his opinion of the hit. Montreal-born German coach Pat Cortina called it an "unfortunate incident" and added that Ovechkin was a "great ambassador" for the sport. The Washington Capitals issued the following statement on Sunday: "We are aware that Alex Ovechkin sustained an injury during today's game versus Germany. Our medical staff is working with Ovechkin and Team Russia to gather additional information at this time." 7. ESPN.com - Alex Ovechkin taken to the hospital

ESPN.com

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin suffered an apparent leg injury on Sunday at the ice hockey world championship. Ovechkin was taken to the hospital, Russian coach Oleg Znarok said after the game. Ovechkin appeared to sustain the injury to his right leg in the third period of Russia's 3-0 win over Germany. He required assistance off the ice and Znarok said he could not "share any information now" about the injury, and that more details would be disclosed after Ovechkin was examined. "We are aware that Alex Ovechkin sustained an injury during today's game versus Germany," the Capitals said in a statement. "Our medical staff is working with Ovechkin and Team Russia to gather additional information at this time." Ovechkin collided with forward Marcus Kink midway through the third period and stayed on the ice for several minutes before he needed assistance to leave the ice. He struggled to put weight on his right leg and did not return to the game. Ovechkin has scored three goals and added six assists for Russia in the tournament. "It's an unfortunate incident and we hope he's OK," Germany coach Pat Cortina said. "He's a great player and a great ambassador for the game of ice hockey. We need players like that and hopefully he will be fine and we'll see him back on the ice soon."

Russia is waiting for the arrival of another star forward, Evgeni Malkin, who agreed to join the team at the worlds after his Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the NHL playoffs. Malkin could be available for Tuesday's final group-stage game against Belarus. 8. ESPN.com - Coach: Derick Brassard day to day

Katie Strang

New York Rangers forward Derick Brassard left Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Montreal Canadiens with what appeared to be a back injury and his status for Game 2 is up in the air. Brassard was rocked by a thunderous, open-ice hit from Montreal defenseman Mike Weaver in the first period, after which he was slow to get up. "He came on my blindside," Brassard said after the game, "but it's the playoffs and I need to be aware of being hit." Brassard received medical attention on the Rangers' bench from the team's head athletic trainer but then headed off for the dressing room. He did not return to the game. After the 7-2 win for New York, coach Alain Vigneault said Brassard is "day to day," but he did not specify if it was an upper- or lower-body injury. When asked if he will be able to play in Game 2 on Monday, Brassard said: "Not sure. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I didn't feel like I could help the team [after the hit] so we'll see how I feel tomorrow." The 26-year-old Brassard, who hails from Hull, Quebec, has four goals and seven points this postseason. He centers the team's most effective forward line that also includes Mats Zuccarello and Benoit Pouliot. 9. ESPN.com - Unsung Crawford steps up again

Scott Burnside

On a day when the Chicago Blackhawks played without the puck for long stretches of time and the Los Angeles Kings looked anything but tired, it was once again left to the quiet man in the Blackhawks net to save the day. It is a recurring theme when it comes to Corey Crawford, who continues to post victories in spite of the fact he has by far the lowest profile of any of the four remaining goaltenders in playoffs. Henrik Lundqvist, Carey Price, Jonathan Quick are all world-class goaltenders, who, combined, have Olympic gold medals and Vezina Trophies and playoff MVP honors to their credit, and it's a fair bet that if you asked 100 hockey people to rank them, Crawford would place 4th on 90 percent of the ballots. Still, the fact remains Crawford is seven wins away from winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, high profile or not, recognition or not, following his 25-save performance in the Blackhawks' 3-1 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews joked that he needed to come up with more original material for his press briefings, the implication that he is used to a) being asked about Crawford and b) praising Crawford's work. "I think he keeps getting better and better," said Toews, who scored the team's third goal on an odd-man rush late in the third period. "As a team, we want to keep raising our level of play as the stage gets bigger and bigger.

If there's anyone that's doing it, it's Crow. Whether it's big penalty kills or us protecting situations late in games, he just seems to get better and better as the pressure mounts. "We were talking a few days ago about the crowd chanting his name in Minnesota [during the last round]. Doesn't matter how much pressure is on him, he just seems to keep playing. It's an example that I think the rest of us can follow." Talk to lots of people connected to the Blackhawks and there's a distinct feeling that Crawford got jobbed in voting for the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) last June that he was more deserving than Patrick Kane. I don't agree, but the fact is there is a widespread belief that Crawford was the team's most valuable performer as it won its second Stanley cup in four years. Still, in spite of his championship credentials, Crawford was never really a factor when it came to the Canadian Olympic team and his name was well down the list in Vezina Trophy discussions about possible. And here he is once again doing the only thing that matters at the only time of year that matters: winning. "I think he feels the same," said forward Brandon Saad, who scored the Blackhawks' first goal, on the power play. "He might be a little bit more focused but we saw that last year during the playoffs with how he can steal games and step up and take over a game. So, we expect that out of him. He tries not to get frustrated. I know that's something he's been working on and he does a good job with never getting too high or low because tomorrow's always another day. He did a great job tonight." On Sunday, he stopped 16 of 17 Kings shots in the second period to help the Blackhawks win their seventh straight playoff home game. They are the only team in the playoffs without at least one home loss. His play was especially key after the Kings tied the game on a nice redirect of a Tanner Pearson pass by Tyler Toffoli before the second period was five minutes old. The Blackhawks had been denied a 2-0 lead moments earlier when a Toews goal was called back because the Blackhawks captain interfered with Kings netminder Jonathan Quick before the puck crossed the line. The Kings seized the moment and controlled the play for most of the period. But Crawford was excellent and midway through the period Duncan Keith's hard point shot glanced off Trevor Lewis and ricocheted off the ice and over Quick's shoulder to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead, one which they would not relinquish. "Confidence has always been there," Crawford said. "The first thing is being prepared, having that preparation to play, to try and have my game at the highest level it can be each time I get out there. "It's knowing the other team, their tendencies. After that, it's just going out there and playing. Also I'm getting a lot of help from our guys in front of me. That third period today was rock solid. I don't remember too many great chances that they got in the third. We kind of just shut them down there, obviously got a key goal by [Toews]. "I approach every next game. That's always the most important. Game 2 is now the most important. I'm going to rest up now and prepare for that." During the 2012 playoffs, Crawford allowed a couple of questionable overtime goals to the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round and the Blackhawks were bounced in six games. There were questions about his mental toughness. Those questions, if they haven't completely been answered, are asked in much quieter voices now.

After dropping the first two games of this postseason, Crawford has won nine of 11, including three in a row. Since those opening two losses against the St. Louis Blues, in which he allowed eight goals and publicly acknowledged he needed to be better, Crawford has allowed two or fewer goals eight times. He has now allowed one goal in each of his last three games. "No, I think he's like he was last year," offered winger Bryan Bickell. "A couple of years ago, he had that mishap and I think he just picked it up mentally. It's nice to see him there and have him there every shift, every game. He's doing everything it takes. You can see a couple of big saves on the power play for them but hat's off to him, he does it every night." While the Blackhawks are favored to win this series, if there is a theory supporting another upset by the 2012 Stanley Cup champs it's that Quick gives the Kings an edge in goaltending. That's not how it turned out Sunday, not that Crawford pays much attention to the man behind the mask at the other end of the ice. "No, unless he skates down the ice and starts dangling around our guys," Crawford told reporters. "I mean, I'm focused on their players. It really doesn't affect my game, whatever goes on at the other end." The answer brought some chuckles from reporters and an amused nod of the head from Toews, who was sitting next to his goaltender. "Well said," Toews said with a big grin. 10. CBC.ca - 30 Thoughts: Cap increase won't ease Penguins' dilemma

Elliotte Friedman

If you watched the TV show Lost (and we all agree the final season was terrible), you were familiar with the recurring numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42. These numbers were part of an equation predicting mankind's extinction. No one's predicting Pittsburgh's extinction, but the Penguins' next GM will have his own set of numbers to worry about. They are 2, 3 and 16. What are they? The current 2014-15 cap hit rankings for Evgeni Malkin ($9.5 million US), Sidney Crosby ($8.7 million) and Kris Letang ($7.25 million). While attending Game 2 of the Montreal/Boston playoff series, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the "rough estimate" of next year's ceiling is between $69-70 million. Letang and Malkin's extensions -- which kick in next season -- will eat slightly more than $4 million of whatever jump there is from this year's $64.3 million limit. Those three players could combine for 35 per cent of Pittsburgh's space. Even as the cap rose from its initial $39 million in 2005-06 to almost double that now (with some teams predicting even higher numbers), you don't see many situations with Pittsburgh's upcoming structure. I could find four (Credit: most of the ranking information is from Capgeek.com). 2012-13 & 2013-14 Minnesota Wild In the first of these two seasons, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were tied for eighth overall on the cap list, while Dany Heatley was 10th (eating approximately 32 per cent of Minnesota's space). In the second, Parise and Suter were tied for ninth, while Heatley was 11th (around 35 per cent). They made the playoffs both times, winning

one round. Heatley comes off the books now, and the Wild, which gave Chicago all it could handle in Round 2, needs flexibility as its talented young players get set for their second contracts. 2011 San Jose Sharks San Jose reached the Western Conference final that season with Heatley (tied for eighth), Joe Thornton (12th) and Patrick Marleau (18th). Dan Boyle was 24th, if you want to throw him in as well. Even without Boyle, the top three took 36 per cent of the team's payroll. The Sharks aren't always a cap team, and traded Heatley after the season to get free of his number. They moved slightly away from the upper limit in the next two seasons before this year's drop put them (and 20 others) within $2 million of the top. 2008-09 Detroit Red Wings The cap was $56.7 million that season. Pittsburgh beat Detroit to win the Stanley Cup, a satisfying victory because Marian Hossa bolted Pennsylvania for Michigan the previous summer. Hossa and Nicklas Lidstrom were tied for seventh overall at $7.45 million, while Pavel Datsyuk was 21st at $6.7 million. The three combined for 38 per cent of the maximum cap space, but did reach the final. But Hossa departed for Chicago, where he finally celebrated not one, but two championships - so far. 2008-09 New York Rangers Scott Gomez was at $7.36 million (ninth overall), Chris Drury $7.05 million (13th) and Henrik Lundqvist $6.875 million (tied for 16th). They took up approximately 37 per cent of available space. And, Wade Redden was tied for 23rd, at $6.5 million. Washington beat the Rangers in the first round. Gomez was traded to Montreal after the season. The good news is none of those teams missed the playoffs. There's one trip to the final, one Conference final, one second round and two first-round defeats. The bad news is Pittsburgh proved Friday that kind of record gets its GM fired. The Penguins are right about one thing: it is too soon for a tear down. When next season begins, Crosby will be 27, Letang and Malkin 28. That is younger than any of the trios above. Crosby and Malkin are nuclear weapons: you don't want them to fall into the wrong hands. And, even if you wanted to trade Letang, his health scare muddles the equation. Pittsburgh doesn't have young forwards on early deals like Bryan Bickell, Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw, who played major roles in Chicago's recent win. That's who they've got to find, and no one would be surprised if they tested James Neal's value to see what's out there. The Penguins are like the Sharks. A deal can easily make them worse, not better. If those two really want to make change, their best trading partner might be each other. 30 Thoughts 1. Just for comparison: the 2012-13 cap was $70.2 million, similar to what we're expecting next season. Chicago won with its top-three salaried players (Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews) taking 26 per cent. Kane and Toews can be extended this summer, with the new deals beginning in 2015-16. That percentage is going to go up, but by how much? They took almost $5 million less than Crosby/Malkin per season on their second deals, critical to their second Stanley Cup (and maybe more). Western Conference opponents are expecting to deal with them for eight additional years. "I hope [their salary number] starts with a nine," one rival exec laughed.

2. You can debate Ray Shero's record all you want, but he won and there are plenty of guys who should have won but didn't. How many current GMs won a Cup in that position? Six. Shero had a clause giving him final say on hockey decisions. Owners Ron Burkle/Mario Lemieux and CEO David Morehouse wished to regain control. Lemieux's extensive knowledge leads to questions of whether this will be similar to the Trevor Linden/Brendan Shanahan setups. Whoever goes in there will want to know, "How much authority do I have?" 3. That's why agent Pat Brisson makes sense, since he has a good relationship with the organization, representing both Crosby and Malkin. But, he has some big deals coming up, including the Kane and Toews extensions. Morehouse said interim GM Jason Botterill is a candidate, although it's not usually positive for internal hires when there's a search instead of immediate promotion. The biggest question about Botterill is how much his philosophy differs from Shero's. On the surface, it doesn't make sense to chase a good candidate in a similar position somewhere else (for example, Julien BriseBois in Tampa Bay) if Botterill is a legit possibility. 4. So, why was Dan Bylsma kept? Here are a couple of theories: First, the Penguins didn't want Bylsma and Shero going somewhere together. Second, asking the new GM to make the choice shields the current players, especially Crosby and Malkin. That makes sense, since the moment they were eliminated, reports of strife between the coach and roster, especially the two superstars, overwhelmed North American bandwidth. The downside? GMs only get so many coaching changes (or, in Shero's case, coaching battles) before the bazooka turns on them. Whoever steps into Vancouver will appreciate Linden making the change. 5. I'm a big Crosby watcher. Love his game and enjoy watching the Penguins. Whatever was/is going on, the word to describe his play this playoff was...weird. The Corsi/Fenwick numbers are great, but this is one case where I support the eye test. He simply was not himself. What really stood out -- especially late in the regular season and against Columbus -- was how he'd take a faceoff, then not engage the opposing centre. It led to a Ranger goal in Game 1 of that series. 6. Crosby also seemed to carry/hold the puck a lot less than normal, especially on the power play. There is at least one team putting high value on "primary points," which eliminates second assists from scoring totals. He led the NHL with 66 in 80 games during the regular season, one of the reasons he will be MVP. He had five in 13 playoff games. 7. Is it simply minutes played? This year, between the regular season, playoffs and Olympics, he played 2133:35. The previous three years, his total was 2511:38. Of the top 48 skaters in ice time during 2013-14's 82-game schedule, there was Crosby and 47 defencemen. He must, however, learn how to handle obvious frustration. Ryan Getzlaf put his anger at Antoine Roussel behind him to help eliminate Dallas. Drew Doughty looks like he's constantly annoyed, but doesn't let it affect his great play. 8. Sounds like Edmonton's Scott Howson was in Vancouver for an interview. He didn't respond to a call, email or text seeking comment. That is The Triple Crown of avoidance. 9. Vancouver fans wondered if the Pittsburgh opening would affect Jim Benning's candidacy. He's had two interviews. If they aren't negotiating with him now, the view is askew. 10. Boston's Peter Chiarelli might be getting lonely. It would be no surprise if he lost Benning and several sources indicate another valuable member of his staff, Don Sweeney, interviewed in Washington. (Chiarelli declined to comment). 11. Didn't expect to hear much about the Capitals until after the NBA Wizards were eliminated, which happened late last week to Indiana. There were a lot of conflicting rumours about their openings, but Sweeney was interviewed and it sounds like Nashville's Paul Fenton was too. (Glenn Healy reported last week Fenton also met with the Canucks). Of course, Shero's availability alters everything. If he'd stayed in Pittsburgh and

Bylsma was out, the belief was Shero would chase Barry Trotz, since they worked together in Nashville. It sure makes sense for Washington, but as I write this, there is no evidence it is close to reality. 12. The toughest part of this search is determining where things stand with Wayne Gretzky. There definitely were conversations, but it's hard to pin down what's happening. One of the considerations for Washington is who would run the organization with him. CSN Washington's Chuck Gormley mentioned Sportsnet's Doug MacLean, and it makes sense. Again, though, it's tough to know for sure. 13. In the last 30 Thoughts, it was mentioned that there likely will be a debate at the Stanley Cup GM meetings about the possibility of compensation for losing a hockey employee to another team. It sounds like the proposal will be a second-round selection, with the team doing the hiring having a window of several seasons to give up the pick. It's also possible there may some kind of age/experience limit, so veteran coaches/execs would be able to leave freely, as long as the new position is a promotion. 14. Another exec, asked if he thought Jeff Skinner was available, said this about Carolina's Ron Francis: "He saw first-hand what trading an important young player can do to an organization, so he'll be careful." Hartford was never the same after it dealt the Hall of Famer to Pittsburgh in 1991. 15. Asked about that, Francis downplayed it. Afterwards, I realized he's probably thinking, "If I say yes, I'll sound like an egomaniac." He kept things close to the vest during our conversation and it's understandable, as there are some massive decisions to make. When I enquired about Eric Staal's future, the GM replied, "It depends on our budget." He could say that about a few players. Those numbers should be known in the next week or so. 16. Before we go crazy with Staal rumours, Francis added he liked seeing the captain as a left winger because it makes it easier to double-shift him around the lineup. This was one of the most interesting parts of the conversation. Asked what he's looking forward to hearing from coaching candidates, the first thing he said was, "Line pairings." He wants to hear how the interviewees would structure the roster, particularly the forward lines. "It's more about finding good pairs," he said. That way you can be flexible with the third man. 17. Florida's Dale Tallon is returning from the world championships in Minsk, Belarus, so expect that coaching search to heat up this week. 18. Minnesota's Chuck Fletcher said the Wild will meet with Mike Yeo about extending his expiring contract, but there's another situation to watch -- Anaheim. Bruce Boudreau is heading into the final season of his contract, and his assistants are up next month. 19. Watching 20-year-old John Gibson have his roughest night as a pro in Game 7 against the Kings reminded me of 21-year-old Chris Osgood's giveaway that led to San Jose's monumental upset of Detroit in 1994. "I remember being devastated, disappointed," Osgood said Sunday. "It was a great opportunity as a young goalie. You think you can win the Stanley Cup at a young age like Patrick Roy and Grant Fuhr. I grew up idolizing those guys...You lose Game 7 as a heavy favourite on a deciding goal where you made the mistake." 20. But Osgood, who was very tough mentally, moved past it. "The next day I said, 'I can do this, if this is the worst that happens it's not that bad...If I can get over this, I can handle anything.' When you're 21, you think you can handle everything, but you need people you can talk to. Ken Holland was really good at putting things in perspective...he steered me in the right direction. He told me I wasn't supposed to be here, don't let one mistake define who you are going to be." 21. Osgood added his situation is similar to Gibson's because both had young teammates who were excited to be in the NHL despite the loss. "He didn't look any different to me than he did in other games," he said.

"Sometimes it just happens at the worst possible time. I loved [Gibson] when scouting him. He makes it look easy, that's how you know he is good...Use [bad games] to get better." 22. Finally, the three-time Stanley Cup champion told a great story about Scotty Bowman. In the fifth game of the 1993-94 season, Osgood was yanked as the Red Wings lost 6-3 in Toronto. "Doug Gilmour scored on a double-spinorama to make it 4-0 or 5-0. Bowman said, 'Don't worry kid, you're going to be here for a long time.' Even after that I thought I could play in this league." 23. Mike Babcock on Hockey Night in Canada Radio about his future: "When you've been in a place nine years like I have, going into my 10th year, it becomes a mutual thing. You want to be someplace where they want you. If they don't want you, you move on. I'm going to coach in the league for a long time yet, there's going to be opportunities for me. I like what we've done in Detroit; we've rebuilt on the fly...I think we have a chance to be better next year and better in the future. So, I tell people all the time: I've got a good place to hunt, I've got a good place to water ski, my family's happy, my youngest girl is finishing school next year so I'm free that way. But there's no reason to move if you don't have to move or if it doesn't excite you to. I've always been a believer that the grass is greener right here at home as long as you fertilize and water." 24. Don't think Marian Gaborik is going to hit free agency. During their 2012 Cup run, the Kings quietly did an extension with Jarret Stoll, but waited until it was over to announce. Could see something similar here. 25. Logan Couture got my #NHL15 cover vote with a tough interview on HNIC Radio after the loss to Los Angeles. "It doesn't get any easier," he said, one week later. "It's been impossible to watch any more hockey since we lost." Asked if he'd re-watched any of the Kings' series to see what happened, he replied, "No, and I don't think I'll be able to. It's just too raw right now, and I think even in the future, any time you lose, especially the way that we lost, it brings up the emotions again and those aren't the emotions you like to feel." 26. Brendan Shanahan made the newspaper media rounds last week and we saw a window into his philosophy. When it was suggested the captaincy be moved away from Dion Phaneuf, Shanahan scoffed. What that says is he is going to protect the players in public. I think there's a legitimate argument to be made that it might actually help Phaneuf, but, in Toronto, it is extremely hard to sell such moves as a positive. So Shanahan's not going to allow that. 27. When it comes to the Phaneuf rumours, I believe one of the reasons Toronto signed him (aside from the fact he still plays the hardest minutes) was that it improved his trade value at some point. Trading a player with term, even if you have to eat a bit of salary, is easier than trading an unrestricted free agent. They're probably testing his value as much as anything. One exec made a good point, though: Toronto should be careful dealing a useful player who clearly doesn't mind an intense market. 28. On the Milan Lucic/Dale Wise exchange after Montreal eliminated Boston: Fans and media love the handshake line after a playoff series. I've been surprised at how many players privately say they hate it, especially if they are the loser. Maybe the only stunner is that it doesn't happen more often. 29. One scout said it best about seeing Lucic so irate: "Montreal should take that as the ultimate compliment. Usually he's the one getting other teams off their game. Instead, they got to him." 30. There will be a discussion about giving a player a penalty who dives for the puck and trips an opponent - whether or not he got the puck first. Right now, puck first equals no penalty. That may change in the search for more goals. 11. Toronto Star - Carey Price question lingers for Canadiens: Arthur

Bruce Arthur

It was one year ago that Carey Price said he couldn’t even go to the grocery store, and called himself a hobbit in a hole. When you are the goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens, people pay attention to you. Well, right now Carey Price is under more scrutiny than at any other point in his life, and that includes the time he was booed in a pre-season game. He is hurt. How badly, where exactly, we are not sure. He stepped on the ice for five minutes on Sunday morning before practice to test his right leg. He crouched, stretched, didn’t move too fast. When he left, he didn’t seem to put much pressure on his right leg. Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final is Monday. Of course, Montreal lost Game 1 to the New York Rangers, 7-2. All that’s riding on Carey Price’s health is the whole damned thing, probably. “We’ll see how he reacts to therapy that we gave him today,” said Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien. “And tomorrow, I can better say if (he will play), but today I can’t.” Price was injured just over three minutes into the second period of Game 1 when the six-foot-three, 230-pound Chris Kreider slammed into him at what the CBC measured as 36.2 km/h. Kreider’s skates were up, and his left skate drove Price’s ankle into the post, and the ankle bent for a moment. Price’s knee might have bent or twisted in that instant, too. Price grabbed at his leg; he stayed in the game until the end of the second period, allowed two more goals to make it 4-1, and didn’t seem to be able to go post to post on the fourth goal. Then he sat. After the game, Therrien tried to downplay or dismiss or dodge questions in both French and English by saying Montreal wanted to protect Price; you could see him shifting, trying to keep from causing a panic. Sunday, after Price missed an optional practice, Therrien’s media appearance was suddenly delayed 15 minutes by meetings, which most people presumed were a combination of medical updates and scripting just what he would say. “I don’t have much to say,” he said at one point. Therrien did allow, obliquely and nonspecifically, that Price was not healthy, while adding that while Kreider wasn’t trying to hurt Price, “he didn’t make much effort to avoid the contact.” Other Canadiens players echoed this theme. “Everybody says it’s accidental, but it’s accidental on purpose,” said Habs forward Brandon Prust, who took 14 minutes worth of penalties in the third period. “He did nothing to really avoid him. We’re in the NHL. We know how to fall, how to not put our skates first when we fall. He did the same thing against (Marc-André) Fleury in the last series. I mean, he’s not doing anything to avoid him. It’s not totally intentional, but he doesn’t do anything to lighten it up a bit.” “He was falling, and he knew he was going to hit Pricer, and he was like, oh, well, I’ll hit him,” said Brendan Gallagher. The Rangers, of course, disagreed. “Today, I’m definitely not in the mood to pick a fight,” said Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, still sombre after the team attended the funeral of Martin St. Louis’s mother, France, in Laval Sunday morning. “I tend to believe a 2-0 game, guy going on a breakaway, he’s trying to score.” Yes, Kreider popped Fleury with a gratuitous elbow in Game 6 of New York’s second-round series with the Penguins, since after being shoved into the goalie, hey, he was there. And yes, he slid into Craig Anderson of

the Ottawa Senators last season, injuring Anderson’s ankle, on a similarly innocuous-looking trip. Yes, the trip in this case was the tank-like Alexei Emelin tapping Kreider’s shin pads from behind, but not tangling up his skates. But none of that really matters, because it happened, and now the Montreal Canadiens might have to break glass in case of emergency. Backup Peter Budaj has allowed 10 goals on 39 shots for Montreal over two playoff seasons, mostly in mop-up duty. AHL starter Dustin Tokarski, who got into three regular season games with the big club, is another possibility. Henrik Lundqvist will be at the other end of the rink, looming. “No, we’re not going to go out and run their goalie just because they ran ours,” said Prust, though it’s always best to wait and see with that sort of proclamation. Montreal has come all this way, and it would be such a disaster for this franchise, in a town where at least one bar still has a life-sized painting of Ken Dryden leaning on his stick on the door to the men’s room, to lose its franchise goaltender when they are four wins from playing for their first Stanley Cup final in 21 years. The Canadiens were very good for those first 18 minutes of the second period before the Rangers put them away, and now they have to hope Game 1 was an aberration, and that Carey Price isn’t broken. With Price absent, Budaj was the centre of attention Sunday. After his scrum, he was asked if his beard had ever been longer; he said no, and someone said, “You look like an apostle.” Montreal’s backup goaltender laughed. “Do I have the healing miracles, too?” he said, in his very soft Slovak accent. It would be better if he did.

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