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January 26, 2009
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.
Krumbling League?
THE POSSIBILITY OF A 30 PERCENT pay cut for players next season was discussed at a recent meeting of the league’s directors. But the players’ association, headed by former NHLer Andrei Kovalenko, is fighting it and the matter was put on the shelf until the end of the season. However, it’s highly likely the per-team salary cap – presently in the neighborhood of $25 million – will be reduced next year. The financial difficulties are the result of falling commodity prices – specifically oil – negatively impacting team owners. The price of a barrel of oil has dropped from a high of more than $140 just a few months ago to below $45. Most Russian hockey teams generate a large portion of their income from sponsorships with local companies and a large number of…
Rats flee Albany for Russia
The cellar-dwelling Albany River Rats lead the league in one category: defections. Journeyman forward Dan LaCouture left the team after the Christmas break to play for Astana Barys in the Kontinental Hockey League. His move follows that of Matt Murley, who did the same just three days before the regular season opener. “I told the guys the other day that if it happens again, I’m going to take it personally,” said first-year Albany coach-GM Jeff Daniels. LaCouture, 31, began the season with the Carolina Hurricanes, earning a one-year, two-way contract after a training camp invitation. He had two goals in 11 games for Carolina and six points in 12 games for Albany. “He came back from the break and skated with us and it was still weighing on his mind,” Daniels said. “He was…
Crowd Shots
“Chelios is the last of those players who would play the game simply for the love of it One cool veteran As a fan of Original Six hockey I, like many, looked with enthusiasm at the Winter Classic New Year’s Day between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. It was a spectacular game and as a former Illinoisan and Cubs fan, having the greatest game in the world played in Wrigley Field was the thrill of a lifetime. However, I was sad to see the last player of my generation and my favorite hockey player, Chris Chelios, sitting on the bench, still nursing his broken leg. I could not help but wonder if this is his last season. Frankly, I feel it will be a loss when Cheli does retire; he is the last…
‘It all ended too fast’
HE LIVED IN THE COUNTRY and you know how things can get when a young person has a house party in a small town. All kinds of uninvited riff-raff show up and before you know it, things can get a little out of hand. So there was Don Sanderson, all 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds of him, standing in front of his friend’s front door turning people away until two rather sinister looking men approached. He told them to beat it…just before discovering they were undercover cops. “They commended him for doing that,” recalled Don Sanderson’s father, Mike. “They said, ‘We don’t know who you are, kid, but here’s who we are.’ He said, ‘Oh God, Dad, I felt like an idiot.’ ” Mike recalled another time when he was at work, getting a…
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