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April 27, 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.
Bears’ Giroux comes through
The capital letter on the upper left corner of his sweater is an outward sign of the respect alternate captain Alexandre Giroux has among his Hershey Bears teammates. It could also easily stand for the kind of season the 27-year-old center/winger has enjoyed, capped by winning the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s most valuable player. “It’s amazing,” said Keith Aucoin, Giroux’s linemate and fellow MVP candidate. “Alex is a great player. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.” With one week left in the season, Giroux had already established a franchise single-season record with 57 goals, a total that led AHL goal-scorers. Giroux was also tops with 21 power play goals and 326 shots, and ranked second with nine first goals and eight game-winners, to go with a plus-24 rating. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder…
All about chemistry
AS A HOCKEY PLAYER, every winter you get handed 20 new friends. I usually get along with about 19, genuinely like five and find one to be a gem. But what happens when there isn’t that one gem? Or even five you genuinely like? What happens when you only get along with 16 of your teammates? Does it affect your performance? Talent is what it is; you’re either good or you aren’t. When you get the puck, you make good plays or you don’t. Confidence plays a small part in these decisions, but it comes from successes and failures. False confidence, like your mom’s “Great game!” after playing like a donkey for 60 minutes, means as much as “Mission Accomplished” from George W. Bush. Obviously, that same comment holds more weight from a…
Paying the PRICE
AS THIS POST-SEASON UNFOLDS, it’s very likely a little-known NHLer will come out of nowhere to score a big game-winning goal and a goaltender will win an entire series almost entirely on the strength of his own astounding play. There’s no guarantee these things will happen, of course. But one thing is 99.9-percent certain in the NHL playoffs: There will be overtime. Lots of overtime. Sometimes, all in the same game. Most hockey fans can’t wait for that kind of late-night event; that’s why even the most strident fans of the shootout are loathe to accept any solution other than the team way in the post-season. For a lot of reasons, unlimited overtime can’t work during the regular season. But one of the main reasons to stick with the shootout through the first 82…
Dynasties thriving
Modern-day dynasties are alive and well across Europe, as domestic league powerhouses successfully fend off challengers with regularity. In Finland, Oulu Karpat were 13th in the 14-team SM-liiga in late October. But by March, the team had climbed to fifth, only three points behind the Espoo Blues, who Karpat beat in the final last season to win its fourth championship in five years. In this year’s playoffs, Karpat steamrolled over Jokerit, Helsinki and the Blues to reach the final – the club’s sixth in seven years – against JYP. Like Karpat, the Swedish giant Farjestad rose in the standings after New Year’s, finishing on top of the Elitserien. During the past 13 seasons, Farjestad has finished in the top four 12 times and has played in the final eight times since 1997,…
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