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April 29, 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.
SUTER’S CRITICS EAT CROW
MIKE YEO, MINNESOTA’S SECOND-YEAR coach, tried to convince Darryl Sydor to turn the dial, but the Wild assistant couldn’t help himself. He likes listening to sports radio and early in the season and nearly drove off the road a few times when he heard Ryan Suter being sliced and diced by the talking heads behind the mic. “I wanted to call up and be like, ‘Uh, this is Bob from Woodbury. Are you stupid?’” Sydor says, using a fake voice. “I look back and I’ve been in the same situation where I’ve gone to a new team and everything’s new. We all knew down deep in the guts of the whole thing that it takes time. “But Ryan’s a levelheaded guy. He’s just like a duck. Water off the back. It doesn’t…
THREE STRIKES BUT NOT OUT
A CAREER-THREATENING INJURY, A GOAL drought and then a pay cut. Mason Raymond was grateful to recover from a vertebrae compression fracture sustained in Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final, but the Vancouver Canucks winger had but 10 goals in 55 games last season and was taken to arbitration in the summer. The result was a $325,000 shave and a chip on his shoulder after receiving a one-year deal for $2.3 million. Instead of sulking, Raymond regained his stride, shot and confidence. A week before the trade deadline, the 27-year-old was tied for the team lead in goals with nine on a makeshift speed line with Jordan Schroeder and Jannik Hansen. “I wanted to come in, play good hockey, be a good player and leave it at that,” Raymond said.…
IN T.O. IT HURTS SO GOOD
THE ENTITY THAT CALLS itself Leafs Nation would make for a fascinating anthropological study, one that scientifically explains the inverse relationship between the massive performance failures of the club it supports and the massive loyalty it consistently exhibits. It’s as if an entire fan base is afflicted with Stockholm Syndrome and has fallen in love with its captors, dependent on the franchise for its feelings no matter how meager things have become. And make no mistake, followers of the Leafs have led a threadbare existence. Read the evidence and weep (or laugh): since they last won the Stanley Cup, as part of a six-team NHL in 1967, Toronto hasn’t returned to the final. The only other current franchises that haven’t appeared in the final are Columbus, Winnipeg, Phoenix, Minnesota and Nashville,…
PICTURE PERFECT
A JOYFUL AMANDA KESSEL celebrated the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ record-shattering NCAA title, grateful to share history with her teammates and aware of the ephemeral nature of their achievement. The Patty Kazmaier Award winner as the country’s most prolific player helped the Gophers win their second straight national title, completing a 41-0 season and extending their winning streak to 49 games. The junior winger became just the fourth player to eclipse 100 points in a season. (Minnesota’s Natalie Darwitz holds the NCAA record with 114 points in 2004-05. Teammate Krissy Wendell had 104 points the same season. Jennifer Botterill of Harvard had 112 points in 2002-03.) Kessel, sister of Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Phil, is expected to return for her senior season after playing in Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 U.S. Olympic…
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