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March 18, 2013
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.
GRIGORENKO’S GROWING PAIN
MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO’S UPSIDE IS what had scouts drooling prior to the 2012 draft and what elated Sabres staffers after Buffalo selected him 12th overall. And Grigorenko showed enough in training camp to jump straight to the NHL from the Quebec League’s Quebec Remparts. But through the first third of a tough season for the entire Buffalo organization, he has confirmed what observers expect of many 18-year-old NHLers: he’ll need time and patience before blossoming. “He’s a kid,” said Sabres teammate Mike Weber. “Major junior is a great league, but pro hockey is a completely different monster to tackle. You do need that development, that learning curve and people and fans have to be patient.” Grigorenko was a healthy scratch for three of Buffalo’s 17 games and averaged slightly more than 11 minutes…
FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT
IN A RECENT GAME BETWEEN Toronto and Buffalo, the Sabres trotted out a fourth line of Jochen Hecht between Patrick Kaleta and John Scott, while the Maple Leafs iced a fourth unit of David Steckel flanked by Frazer McLaren and Mike Brown. It was inevitable that with two lines featuring four frequent fighters, there was going to be a tussle that night – and there was between Scott and McLaren. And that, in a nutshell, is a good explanation for why fighting is up in the NHL. With a truncated schedule in which injuries have become a factor, fourth-line players are logging more ice time and playing in more situations than they have in previous years. One professional scout who spoke to THN on the issue believes it’s a matter of depth,…
THE INSTIGATOR
Download the Digimarc app to scan photos on pages 20, 32, 36 and 38 to watch videos on the Calder race, ‘Mo’ Sommer and 1-on-1s with Mike Kostka and Mikhail Grigorenko.…
Marley And We
ON A CHILLY FRIDAY MORNING in the middle of January, all is quiet on the streets of Worcester, Mass., as workers in this proud city in Boston’s shadow have punched their time clocks, beginning the slow descent toward the weekend. Deep inside the DCU Center, home to the American League’s Worcester Sharks, players who dream of NHL contracts are about to substantially raise the decibel level. It begins minutes after the Sharks’ morning skate in preparation for their home game later that night against the Springfield Falcons. As players walk the short distance from the ice to the dressing room, some throw their practice jerseys onto a rolling gray bin placed directly in the center of their stalls. But not center Jon Matsumoto. “Mo,” he calls out in a sing-song voice, holding up…
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