Search for your favorite player or team
© The Hockey News. All rights reserved. Any and all material on this website cannot be used, reproduced, or distributed without prior written permission from Roustan Media Ltd. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
December 26, 2006
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.
Long live Brodeur, the king of Jersey
NO. 1 GOALIE Martin Brodeur, 34, agreed to a six-year, $31.2-million contract extension Jan. 27 that will keep him in New Jersey through 2011-12. While he could’ve commanded top money by becoming a free agent, Brodeur accepted $5.2 million per season to stay with the team that will allow him to catch Patrick Roy on the all-time wins list. NEW EX-HABS COACH Claude Julien was named the team’s new coach June 13 as GM Lou Lamoriello continued to use the Montreal pipeline that brought Jacques Lemaire, Larry Robinson and Pat Burns to New Jersey. The move came after Lamoriello coached the Devils for most of last season following Robinson’s resignation in December. CZECH BACK Unrestricted free agent Patrik Elias signed a six-year, $42-million deal to stay with the Devils. Elias, named captain…
SPHL prospering, looking to expand
Keith Jeffries is one reason the three-year-old SPHL is flourishing despite the absence of a commissioner. “Let me find some wood to knock on,” said the board of governors chairman, who was put in charge of business operations after commissioner Tom Coolen’s contract was not renewed in the summer of 2005. Jeffries grew up a fan of minor hockey in Huntsville, sold his successful printing business and became president of the Havoc. His toughest call has been which expansion cities to accept for the eight-team league that has doubled in size since its inception. “We have some very serious inquiries and a couple of applications in hand,” he said. “We are going to survive only if we control our budgets.”…
West may be better, but East is exciting
There’s little surprise that much of the groundswell for the desire to change the NHL’s unbalanced schedule has come from the teams in the Western Conference. First of all, they likely don’t see a lot of equity in the fact the teams in the Northeast Division will travel out of their time zone for exactly three games this season. Part of it has to be from teams such as the Detroit Red Wings, whose fans are being force fed a steady diet consisting of St. Louis, Columbus and Chicago this season while fans of the New York Islanders – all 20 of them – get regular servings of Jaromir Jagr, Zach Parise, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But hockey people in the West have come to realize a trend that is becoming…
Despite struggles, Denis an upgrade
RICH RICHARDS Tampa Bay signed Brad Richards to a five-year, $39-million contract May 22 that makes him the league’s second-highest paid player. The Lightning decided his upside was worth the risk, even if it meant squeezing here and there to make it work under the cap. GOALIE’S MARC Marc Denis won his first game for Tampa Oct. 5 and did so by shutting out Atlanta in a shootout. After the previous season’s goaltending woes, Denis’ arrival was a sigh of relief; he shined for the first three weeks. There were plenty of struggles to come, but no one was saying Denis was a mistake. MVP? Martin St-Louis’ hat trick against Carolina Oct. 26 kick-started what could be the right winger’s finest season yet. St-Louis, who had just two goals in his previous…
Made possible with the support of
