Teemu Selanne officially announced his return to the NHL and the Anaheim Might Ducks today.
Selanne who had pondered retirement for the summer and half of the regular season, felt he still had the passion to play. The Anaheim Ducks and the star winger agreed to terms on a one year contract for $1.5 million, which will pay Selanne roughly $600,000 for the remainder of this season.
Selanne will be an offensive boost for the Ducks as he led the team in scoring last year with 90 points (40 goals, 50 assists) in 80 games played. The Ducks will be one of the teams to go through in order to come out of the West for certain.
By the way, for you Fantasy Managers, if he's still available in your league, scoop him up.
Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk received a one game suspension in addition for his game misconduct Tuesday night.
During the first period of the Thrashes game against the New York Rangers, Kovalchuk hit Rangers's defenceman Michal Rozsival from behind, forcing his head into the glass. Kovalchuk received a 5 minute boarding penalty for the hit, and a match penalty. Rosival returned to finish the game and the Rangers went on to a 4-0 win.
Kovalchuk will appear in the All Star Game this weekend, and is currently second in the league in goals scored with 37.
The Phoenix Coyotes rewarded goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov for not only bringing stability to the organization, but for helping to thrust the club into playoff contention.
Aquired off of waivers from the Anaheim Ducks, Ilya Bryzgalov has been solid in net for the Coyotes
and is a big part of the reason why they are 4 points removed from the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. Since his aquisition, Brygalov has a 16-10-2 record and a 2.33 GAA. Phoenix signed Bryzgalov to a new three year contract worth $12.75 million.
Looks as though after month's of speculation, Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. will finally be relieved of his duties sometime today.
According to TSN.ca, the Board of Directors of the Maple Leafs met yesterday and have decided to make a change. Former Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher is expected to become the team's interim General Manager for the remainder of the season.
UPDATE:
All of the above just happened shortly after noon today. The Leafs will being holding a press conference later today to announce the hiring of Cliff Fletcher as their new interim GM. Let the rumors begin.... last time this guy was in charge he cleaned house!
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the ice.... Forsberg is back.
Well not quite, and not just yet. Forsberg is making his second attempt at a comeback this year, and today to the first stride towards that goal. In Stockholm Sweden, Peter Forsberg suited up and practiced this morning with Modo, his hometown club.
Forsberg attempted the comeback in November in the hopes for a December return but it was postponed after just one practice. Forsberg surgically repaired ankle felt unstable after an hour on the ice.
The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered a pretty big blow last night in their 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Pens captain Sidney Crosby sustained an injury to his right ankle.
Crosby has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, which could keep out of the lineup for up to two months. The Penguins doctors will re-evaluate Crosby today to determine the full extent of the injury.
Quick Shave:
Did the Buffalo Sabres have a mean-on tonight or what? Their 10 game losing skid came to a screeching halt tonight as they took out their frustrations on the Atlanta Thrashers. The Sabres torched the Thrashers 10-1, thanks in part to just about everyone, and near perfect goaltending by Ryan Miller, who made 23 saves. Lucky me.... I started Johan Hedberg last night who allowed 7 of the Buffalo goals. Well done JH!
It's hard to ignore what's going on in Toronto right now. The Toronto Maple Leafs have had an up and down season, somewhat more down than up, and following a year where they missed the playoffs by a single point, every fan, broadcaster, and writer are demanding action.
Unfortunately, for Leafs GM John Ferguson, the finger is being pointed directly at him. Ownership has made no secret they are interviewing candidates to become his replacement. Earlier this week they asked the Phoenix Coyotes for permission to speak with former Leafs GM (1991-1997) Cliff Fletcher about his interest in returning to his post. Clearly, Ferguson is on his way out, it's a matter of when not if. Coach Paul Maurice's position may also be in jeopardy, and his fate could be the same as Ferguson's. Guaging the news in Toronto it really sounds like no one is safe.
The big question is what happens to Mats Sundin. The Leafs captain is having a great season, scoring 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) and is a +10 in 47 games this season. He is also an unrestricted free-agent at season's end. Will the Leaf's deal him? Sundin will clearly fetch a huge price as a playoff rental if he is dangled before the league prior to the deadline. The Leafs could also re-sign him in the off-season if he chose to return. The hang up with all of this? Sundin has a no-trade clause. Would he be willing to waive it?
Let's say he does. Where will he go? I have to imagine the Leafs would prefer to send him West, to avoid having to face him as an opponent. Sundin would look pretty good centering his countrymen the Sedin twins in Vancouver. He also might be the scoring player Brett Hull is looking for to compliment Mike Modano (if one of them felt like playing wing) in Dallas. As a Red Wing, centering Zetterberg and Datsyuk? The possibilities are endless. February could be a very busy month for the Leafs and the NHL.
Quick Shave:
Anyone see what Rick Nash did last night against the Phoenix Coyotes? He took a bad penalty which allowed the Coyotes to tie the game 3-3 late in the third. Nash however had the opportunity to redeem himself, and scored the game winner (his second of the game) with less than half a minute to go, to give the Columbus Blue Jackets the 4-3 win. The goal itself, well have a look for yourself. Brilliant!
The Ottawa Senators got the opportunity to bench test their team against the NHL's best last night.
The Senators managed to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2, but the victory proved to be a costly one. Sens superstar winger Dany Heatley (and probably the number one draft pick in every fantasy hockey league this fall) separated his shoulder Saturday night. Heatley will be out of the Senators lineup for the next 4-6 weeks while he recovers.
Just hours ago, while playing the New York Islanders, the Ottawa Senators lost their top center Jason Spezza. Spezza was checked by Islanders defenceman Freddy Meyer during the first period. Spezza played the rest of the first without missing a shift but did not return to the game for the second or third. The Senators claim to have held him out for precautionary measures.... a concussion perhaps? Regardless, without two thirds of their top line, the Senators fell to the New York Islanders 3-1.
All eyes will be on Ottawa to determine the status of Jason Spezza, and if he will be out of the lineup as for an extended period. If so, this could change the face of the Eastern Conference if their secondary players cannot step up to fill the void left by Heatley and Spezza. It's going to be an interesting month.
The Western Conference leading Detroit Red Wings will visit the Eastern Conference leading Ottawa Senators tonight in what has to be the game of the year.
Both teams are on a collision course for the Stanley Cup Finals this Spring as they have met very little resistance in their respective conferences. Detroit has dominated the West (except for the Blackhawks) and are 33-8-4 holding a very comfortable 16 point lead over second place San Jose. The Ottawa Senators have done likewise, going 28-10-4, with a 7 point lead over second place New Jersey.
Both clubs boast high powered offences, in fact 5 of the top 10 players in league scoring will be on the ice tonight. The Red Wings Henrik Zetterberg has 56 points (27 goals, 29 assists), Senators Daniel Alfredsson also has 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists), followed by linemate Dany Heatley who has 55 points (25 goals, 30 assists), Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk has 54 points (17 goals, 37 assists), and Ottawa's Jason Spezza has 52 points (15 goals, 37 assists). This is the game of the year.... until they meet again in the playoffs (hopefully).
Quick Shave:
Goaltender Curtis Joseph may be returning to the NHL within the next few days. Apparently there are 5 teams pursuing the veteran netminder, but Joseph has narrowed his choices down to two clubs, the San Jose Sharks, and the Calgary Flames. The Sharks thus far this season have employed only Evgeni Nabokov in net this year, as he has started every game for his team. Speaking of goaltenders, I have to make mention of Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Ty Conklin. What a comeback this guy is having. Destined to spend the remainder of his professional career in the minors, with the Pens AHL affiliate, Conklin took advantage of a callup after starter Marc-Andre Fleury was injured, and Dany Sabourin was incapable of performing at a winning level. Since his promotion to starting goaltender, Conklin has helped the Penguins to 8 straight victories, 2nd place in the Atlantic Division and 4th overall in the East. He's also been a bright spot on a few of Bosher's fantasy rosters. Keep it up Conker!
The Washington Capitals announced today the signing of their superstar forward Alexander Ovechkin to a contract of historic proportions.
The Capitals and Ovechkin agreed to a 13 year contract extension worth $124 million. Washington will pay Ovechkin $9 million per year for the first 6 years of the contract, and $10 million per for the final seven.
Ovechkin, easily one of the best players over the past two seasons, and continuing his dominance in the third year of his professional career will now have every opportunity to help bring the Capitals to glory. Alexander Ovechkin is tied for second in the NHL with 32 goals, and has a total 52 points on the season.
This contract will obviously turn some heads, and critics will complain that's it too much, or too long, or too much risk. To them I say, this guy is worth it. Ovechkin is a special player, one that rarely comes along, and one that you can build a winning club around. Over the next decade we will get to watch that happen.
Teemu Selanne has been found! Not just found, actually skating! Ok, lets put the salt and pepper on this entree..... skating at Anaheim Ice!
If there was ever a chance of Selanne returning to action, it probably hasn't been this good ever. Selanne, according to the Los Angeles Times, has been a skating program at the Ducks' facilities to determine if he is mentally prepared (and phsyically I would assume) to play another season in the NHL.
Selanne has yet to file retirement papers, and has stated repeatedly that if he were to return, it would be only with the Anaheim Ducks. GM Brian Burke has about $2 million worth of cap room to work with and should have little difficulty maneuvering a contract in place for the 37 year old winger.
Whether he plays or not, I would expect a decision by Selanne in the very near future.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin joined the NHL Hat Trick club for the first time in his career.
Malkin's scoring production was just a small part of the 6-2 thumping the Penguins put on the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. The Leafs who have looked vulnerable since their starting goaltender Vesa Toskala was place on IR, and have now lost 7 of their last 9 games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins returned to indoor hockey behind the solid goaltending of Ty Conklin who made 33 saves, and is now 6-0 as a starter since being called up to fill in for the injured Marc-Andre Fluery, and the incapable Dany Sabourin.
Quick Shave:Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla is unstoppable. Iginla scored his 30th, and 31st of the season last night, including the game winner which lifted the Flames 3-2 over the San Jose Sharks in overtime. The previous evening saw Iginla pot two in the Flames 4-3 win over the New York Rangers. Speaking of which, the Rangers who were without leading scorer Brendan Shanahan were unable to solve Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo last night. Luongo made 27 saves and help the Canucks to a 3-0 shutout win over the Rangers. The victory was his 6th of the season by shutout. The Colorado Avalanche are dealing with the injury bug lately. After losing captain Joe Sakic for the next few months, they will also be without free agent acquisition Ryan Smyth for 8 weeks due to a fractured ankle.
That was something really special yesterday. Pond hockey in front of a crowd of over 70,000 people.
The Winter Classic lived up to it's billing yesterday, for the NHL players, and it's fans as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in a game that saw snow, freezing rain, more snow, overtime and a shootout. Sidney Crosby made the afternoon count by beating Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller between the pads for the shootout winner.
The conditions may not have been perfect for the cleanest of play, but they were perfect in my opinion for this event. The NHL may have found a great marketing tool yesterday. Every radio program and news channel has been talking about the match. Perhaps it's a step to putting the NHL back on the map in the U.S. Hopefully they will continue to make this a regular event every year.
Our Playoff Beard.com correspondent in Buffalo, Michelle, was sitting pretty at the game in Section 330, and provided us with some great stills of the game. Special Thanks to her for her efforts and braving the cold! Enjoy!
Teemu Selanne officially announced his return to the NHL and the Anaheim Might Ducks today.
Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk received a one game suspension in addition for his game misconduct Tuesday night. 
The Phoenix Coyotes rewarded goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov for not only bringing stability to the organization, but for helping to thrust the club into playoff contention.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the ice.... Forsberg is back.
The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered a pretty big blow last night in their 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Pens captain Sidney Crosby sustained an injury to his right ankle.
It's hard to ignore what's going on in Toronto right now. The Toronto Maple Leafs have had an up and down season, somewhat more down than up, and following a year where they missed the playoffs by a single point, every fan, broadcaster, and writer are demanding action.
Quick Shave:
The Ottawa Senators got the opportunity to bench test their team against the NHL's best last night. 
Just hours ago, while playing the New York Islanders, the Ottawa Senators lost their top center Jason Spezza. Spezza was checked by Islanders defenceman Freddy Meyer during the first period. Spezza played the rest of the first without missing a shift but did not return to the game for the second or third. The Senators claim to have held him out for precautionary measures.... a concussion perhaps? Regardless, without two thirds of their top line, the Senators fell to the New York Islanders 3-1.
The Western Conference leading Detroit Red Wings will visit the Eastern Conference leading Ottawa Senators tonight in what has to be the game of the year.
The Washington Capitals announced today the signing of their superstar forward Alexander Ovechkin to a contract of historic proportions.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin joined the NHL Hat Trick club for the first time in his career.
Quick Shave:Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla is unstoppable. Iginla scored his 30th, and 31st of the season last night, including the game winner which lifted the Flames 3-2 over the San Jose Sharks in overtime. The previous evening saw Iginla pot two in the Flames 4-3 win over the New York Rangers. Speaking of which, the Rangers who were without leading scorer Brendan Shanahan were unable to solve Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo last night. Luongo made 27 saves and help the Canucks to a 3-0 shutout win over the Rangers. The victory was his 6th of the season by shutout. The Colorado Avalanche are dealing with the injury bug lately. After losing captain Joe Sakic for the next few months, they will also be without free agent acquisition Ryan Smyth for 8 weeks due to a fractured ankle.
