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June 7, 2010
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
MICHAEL BOYLE
GETTING STRENGTH AND conditioning coaches to hero themselves is next to impossible, but raise the name Mike Boyle and you can hardly shut them up. “He has a huge following, whether it’s NHL, collegiate, all up and down,” said Ray Tufts, the San Jose Sharks head athletic trainer and president of the PHATS side of PHATS/SPHEM, the organization for hockey trainers and equipment people. The 50-year-old Boyle has been at Boston University for nearly 30 years and an integral part of BU’s hockey program for about 25 of those. From 1991 to ’99 he was the Boston Bruins’ strength coach. He writes articles that change people’s mindsets within the industry and travels the globe to give speaking engagements. “Mike has always been regarded as the guru out in the Boston area for hockey…
BILL ZITO
Give me your undrafed, your ignored, your over looked, the wretched refuse of your teams UNLESS YOU’RE EITHER from Sweden or you’re a serious hockey geek, you probably don’t know a whole lot about Linus Klasen. But you will. After all, he’s represented by Bill Zito. A batboy for the Milwaukee Brewers when they went to the World Series in 1982, Zito is hockey’s version of the Statue of Liberty. “Give me your undrafted, your ignored, your overlooked, the wretched refuse of your teams,” might as well be the corporate motto for Acme World Sports, the hockey agency founded by Zito. Which brings us back to Klasen, a 5-foot-8 sublimely skilled 24-year-old who recently signed a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators. Klasen was never drafted, which puts him in good company with…
St. Louis
THE BLUES had a very good starting goaltender this year in Chris Mason. Problem is, the rest of the league noticed – and now he’s a UFA. Mason, 34, was making $3 million per season on his last contract and can easily ask for more on the open market. St. Louis does have the cap space to re-sign him, but they’ll have to be smart with only 10 NHL players under contract for next season through late May. Backup extraordinaire Ty Conklin is still in the fold for another campaign and while he has played starter minutes in the past, he isn’t known for that marquee role. Two young goaltenders vying for attention are Ben Bishop and Jake Allen.…
Montreal
THINGS WOULD have been so much simpler had the Canadiens done the expected and lost their opening-round series against Washington. With goaltender Jaroslav Halak playing the majority of that series, it would have given GM Pierre Gauthier an easy out; he would have had no choice but to trade Halak. But now what? The Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 1993 thanks to Halak. He alone put this team on his slender shoulders, galvanizing an entire city in the process. Win or lose against Philly, Halak proved his worth in the playoffs. When Halak, selected 271st overall in the 2003 draft, played well enough to give his teammates a chance, the Canadiens rose to the occasion. They blocked shots and produced timely scoring, mostly from Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta. Montreal…
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