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March 30, 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.
Agents of Change
Welcome to the third annual ranking of NHL GMs by The Hockey News. With input from a variety of hockey observers, we ranked the GMs from No. 1 to 30 based on several criteria. While their career body of work is considered – including actions as GMs of other teams – more of an emphasis is placed on what they accomplished in the past calendar year and the recent trade deadline. Each GM’s entire career stats are reflected in the regular season and playoff records, and their total number of seasons as an NHL GM is listed. GMs with limited experience tend to get ranked lower because there’s not enough evidence upon which to judge. UNTIL RECENT YEARS, GMs in the NHL came almost exclusively from two streams. They were either…
Risking Nothing
A few years ago, when Juuso Riksman played in Sweden, some called him ‘Riskman.’ But when Jokerit, Helsinki signed the goaltender to a two-year deal last spring, they weren’t taking a huge risk; they knew exactly what they were getting. Riksman was voted MVP of the Finnish SM-liiga playoffs in 2006 before signing with Jokerit for the ’06-07 season. He collected 18 wins in 29 games and carried Jokerit to the league final for the second consecutive season. This year, Riksman led the SM-liiga in wins – 26 in 45 starts – and save percentage (.944). Not surprisingly, he was named the league’s regular season MVP, beating out Daniel Corso and Sami Kapanen. Riksman, who turns 32 on April 1, also has a lot of miles on his pads. He began the 2007-08…
Adieu, Mrs. Hockey
COLLEEN HOWE ruffled more than a few feathers. She was the outspoken business manager of the most prominent family in the history of the sport. She was fiercely protective of her husband and sons and often ventured into territory where women were not welcome. She was such an argumentative negotiator that some had given her the nickname ‘Dragon Lady.’ Another nickname was ‘Mrs. Hockey.’ She set the groundwork for wives in pro sports, handling the back-end dealings and letting her husband concentrate on hockey. She negotiated contracts, planned itineraries and processed fan mail, among her various duties. She was Gordie Howe’s agent, his dietician and his counselor. Most importantly, she was his inspiration. She was also an award-winning video producer, sold life insurance, ran for political office in Connecticut, owned a travel agency and an…
Winning advantage
DETROIT RED WINGS GM Ken Holland doesn’t subscribe to the old hockey cliche, “A win is a win.” With that in mind, he’d like to see the NHL attach more significance to victories that occur in regulation time. Fighting was certainly the front-burner item tackled by the league’s GMs during their annual meetings held in Naples, Fla., in early March, but it wasn’t the only battle fought. Holland put forth an idea that the league amend its current tie-breaking system for determining end-of-season standings. Presently, if two teams finish the year with the same amount of points, the first tie-breaker is the number of wins. Holland believes the first factor in separating deadlocked teams should be how many wins each squad gained during regulation time. The second tie-breaker would include overtime wins;…
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