NHL: Ricci vor Rückkher - Tage von LeNeveu gezählt?

22.11.2006 von Coyote.

Es gibt eine gute und eine schelchte Nachricht. Die Gute ist, dass mike Ricci wieder im Kader der Coyoten ist und wieder eingesetzt werden kann.

Die Schlechte ist, dass die Tage von Goalie David LeNeveu in der NHL wohl gezählt sein dürften. Man sei wohl noch immer auf der Suche nach einem Backup - und mal ehrlich: als ob der Posten des Backup-Goalies das Problem wäre. Ich fände es für LeNeveu sehr schade, ich finde er hätte mehr als nur eine richtige Chance verdient. In dieser Saison ist schon so viel schief gelaufen - wem würde es da wehtun wenn LeNeveu mal so vielleicht 10 Spiele am Stück als Starter bestreiten dürfte. Eigentlich kann man in der gegenwärtigen Situation doch nur noch gewinnen.

Mit der Rückkehr von Ricci musste natürlich auch wieder Platz im Roster gemacht werden. Donald MacLean wurde dafür zurück nach San Antonio geschickt. Vielleicht hätte ein wenig mehr von ihm kommen müssen. Immerhin darf sich damit Mike Zigomanis weiterhin in der NHL präsentieren. Mit MacLean muss auch Matt Jones zurück in die AHL - er konnte sich nicht so stark wie bei seinem letzten Call-Up zeigen, muss nun quasi wieder in der AHL “nachsitzen”. Ob man in Phoenix auch mal wieder Matt Spiller in die NHL rufen wird? Für Dennis Seidenberg bedeutet das unterdessen Gas geben, immerhin durfte er dank Matt Jones schon von der Pressebox aus zusehen.

Einen interessanten Artikel über George Laraque, den derzeitigen Überflieger bei den Coyotes, habe ich noch bei TSN.ca gefunden. Es geht darin um die Zukunft der “Tough Guys” und welche Rolle die “Enforcer” in der zukünftigen NHL spielen werden.

Ach ja:. Enver Lisin ist seltsamer Weise noch immer in Phoenix - sovel also zum Thema “Rückkehr nach Russland”

Was ich jedem noch ans Herz legen möchte ist der Game Day Thread aus dem Coyotes-Forum bei Hockey’s Future. Er bringt wirklich eine Menge an Infos für gewöhnlich mit sich.

Zu finden hier: http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=314076

Hier die Artikel von AZCentral.com:

Phoenix recalls Ricci

associated press
Nov. 20, 2006 04:34 PM

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Phoenix Coyotes ended Mike Ricci’s brief conditioning stint in San Antonio on Monday by recalling the veteran center from the Rampage.

Ricci played two games over the weekend for the Rampage to prepare for his return to the Coyotes. He had been sidelined all season following offseason neck surgery.

The 35-year-old Canadian is in his 16th NHL season.

Phoenix is home against New Jersey on Wednesday night.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1120ricci-ON.html 

LeNeveu’s departure imminent

David Vest
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 21, 2006 11:21 PM

David LeNeveu’s days with the Coyotes appear to be numbered.

LeNeveu practiced on Tuesday and may even dress for tonight’s game against New Jersey, but the Coyotes still are pursuing a trade for another backup goalie.

Meanwhile, prospect Josh Tordjman stopped 55 of 57 shots and won Tuesday night for the team’s top affiliate in San Antonio with Coyotes General Manager Mike Barnett in attendance.

Barnett may bring Tordjman back to Phoenix with him today.

Coach Wayne Gretzky pulled LeNeveu from his last start on Saturday, then publicly criticized him for giving up three goals in 27 minutes. The next day, Gretzky spoke publicly about acquiring another backup goalie in a trade.

As of noon Tuesday, the two had not spoken privately about the situation.

LeNeveu (2-1, 4.09 goals-against average) has heard about Gretzky’s remarks and is puzzled. Yet, he’s not moping.

“My head’s held high,” LeNeveu said. “I feel confident and I feel good. I’m just going to come to the rink every day and do my job and see what happens from there.”

LeNeveu, 23, is not hoping for a fresh start with a new team.

“Why would I want to be traded?” he said. “Phoenix is a great city and a beautiful city. Wayne Gretzky is the head coach, and I’m playing with guys like Curtis Joseph and Jeremy Roenick and Shane Doan and I could keep going through all 22 guys.”

Ricci and Doan
Mike Ricci, who has been rehabbing a neck injury since June, is going to play in his first game tonight.

“We’re pretty excited about him coming back,” Gretzky said. “He kills penalties well and he brings a certain swagger to our locker room and on the bench, and lightens things up at the right time.”

Gretzky said Ricci would play left wing, not center.

Doan, who has missed nine of the past 10 games because of a sore back, practiced Tuesday.

“The likelihood of him playing (tonight) is probably doubtful,” Gretzky said. “I’m hoping for maybe Friday (vs. Minnesota).”

Roster moves
Center Donald MacLean and defenseman Matt Jones were sent to San Antonio.

MacLean notched a goal and an assist in nine games with Phoenix, and Jones has one goal and two assists in 10 games.

Ice chips
Left wing Georges Laraque is two points shy of matching his total from last season (12). He did not practice because of a lingering sore knee…. Friday’s game will be broadcast on KAZG-AM (1440) and not KDUS-AM (1060).

Tonight’s game
Devils at Coyotes
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale
TV/radio: None/KDUS-AM (1060).

Devils update: New Jersey, which hasn’t played since Saturday, has won six of its past seven games. Center Scott Gomez, who is recovering from a groin injury that has sidelined him for the past seven games, is expected to play tonight. Goalie Martin Brodeur’s 12 victories were tops in the league before Tuesday’s games. Left wing Zach Parise leads the Devils with 18 points. Defenseman Brian Rafalski has a team-high 11 assists.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1121yotesnb1122.html

Und der Laraque-Artikel von Tsn.ca:

Laraque worried about enforcers’ future

Canadian Press

11/21/2006 4:01:28 PM

One would think Georges Laraque would be in a great mood these days. He’s got seven points in his last four games while playing key minutes for the Phoenix Coyotes.

But the veteran NHL tough guy is worried about his craft.

“I know that within two years there won’t be any fighters in the league anymore,” Laraque said from Phoenix this week. “Within two years, I’m serious, because this is how it’s going. More and more teams don’t have fighters.”

Fewer traditional enforcers seem to be surviving in the NHL. A rough count by CP lists only 11 NHL clubs who regularly dress tough guys, seven other teams who occasionally do, and 12 more who really haven’t at all this season.

“I’m depressed about it because I sympathize with the guys who do my job,” said Laraque. “Those are my brothers. I was lucky that it wasn’t this way when I started nine years ago. If I lost my job tomorrow I could say I played a decade in the NHL. I’ve been fortunate. But the younger guys like (Ottawa’s Brian) McGrattan, I feel bad for them. They may not have a job soon.”

There’s no denying the facts. The post-lockout NHL has seen fighting decrease. There were 267 fighting majors this season through Monday night (303 games), up slightly from last year’s pace at 250, but down big time from the 429 through the same number of games in 2003-04.

There were 329 fighting majors through the same period in 2002-03 and 426 in 2001-02.

“Since Day 1 when hockey started there’s been fighting,” said San Jose Sharks tough guy Scott Parker. “It’s the aggression and competitiveness that’s always been part of the game. It’s part of the reason people enjoy the sport.”

Parker has dressed in only three games this season despite being healthy. He, too, shares Laraque’s concern that fighting is leaving the game.

“They may start with fighting and then say no hitting, and then no touching at all,” Parker said from San Jose. “Where will it end? We can’t back down and let them take our jobs away from us.”

The NHL came back from the lockout with drastic changes that made the game more wide-open and much faster - too fast, perhaps, for some of the tough guys.

“If you can’t skate and play, you just stopped your team from having four lines,” Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said Tuesday.

The Wings, as a result, don’t have a traditional enforcer.

“The league’s flying out there,” Babcock said from Detroit. “And if you think you can play three lines, I think you’re wrong. I myself could be wrong, but I don’t think you can. I think your players all should be able to contribute.”

Are the Wings worried when they face a opposing team with an enforcer? Not really.

Just ask Laraque, the NHL’s most feared fighter.

“Teams are discovering that if you don’t have a fighter, it doesn’t matter,” said Laraque. “If you play a team with a fighter, even though your team doesn’t have one, does it matter? What’s he going to do? Who’s he going to fight?

“There’s so many teams that don’t have one, and next year there’ll be even less.” 

Fellow tough guy Derek Boogaard of the Minnesota Wild agreed with Laraque that it’s getting tougher but said tough guys simply need to keep up with the game.

“You might not have a job if you don’t work on your skill,” Boogaard said Tuesday from Minneapolis. “As long as you can keep up with the game with your skating then you’ll be fine. ..

“Guys are smarter now, they have to work on their skill level rather than just sit there and fight. As long as the guys have that in their heads, that they have to play and have the confidence that they can play, no, I don’t think that’ll be an issue at all.”

Still, Laraque for pines for the good-old days.

“Look at the old days when (Bob) Probert and (Tie) Domi would fight,” he said. “People would line up three hours before the game. They were so excited and would talk about it for days. It was crazy. Now we talk about revenue sharing and things like that. We’re turning hockey into a ballet league.”

Added Laraque: “That’s what the league wants, they want to make this into a European league. They don’t want any fighting. It will happen.”

Dallas Stars head coach Dave Tippett says there’s still fighting, it’s just in a different form.

His team doesn’t dress a traditional enforcer but has guys like Matthew Barnaby, Steve Ott, Trevor Daley, Eric Lindros and captain Brendan Morrow that can all drop the gloves if need be.

“I think we were tied for the most fighting majors in the league last year and we didn’t really have a traditional tough guy,” Tippett said from Dallas. “But we have a lot of players that play hard for each other and stick up for their teammates.

“We have players that play with grit and are willing to do it,” he added. “But any fight that’s around our team I class as a hockey fight, not a heavyweight versus heavyweight.”

And that seems to be the trend.

New Jersey’s Cam Janssen is only six foot tall and 210 pounds but he leads the NHL with eight fighting majors. A better example of the perfect prototype for the new NHL is Ottawa Senators rugged winger Chris Neil, who can drop the gloves with the best of them but also has seven goals and six assists in 21 games.

“Right now, with the momentum changes in the game, with the way game flows, you get stretches of three to four minutes of continuous play .. you can’t afford to have somebody that cannot play within the flow of the game,” said Tippett.

Laraque has always prided himself on becoming a better hockey player. He had a career-best 13 goals and 29 points with the Edmonton Oilers in 2000-01 and already has 10 points (4-6) in 19 games with the Coyotes this season.

“I’ve never focused on being a better fighter as much as being a better player,” said Laraque. “I’ve always tried to work my ass off so that when I’m on the ice, even though I’m not fighting I can be a factor five on five and not a liability defensively.

“I take pride in the fact the coach can put me out there against any line and he doesn’t have to worry.”

Being called the NHL’s most feared fighter does little for him, Laraque insisted.

“Frankly, when people talk about my reputation as being the toughest guy in the league, I always say that I don’t care about that. I don’t want that reputation. They can give it to whoever. Because the only place they give belts is in wrestling or boxing.

“In the NHL, you can be the toughest guy in the league but if you can’t put points on the board it doesn’t matter, you’ll be out of a job. It’s not an honoured distinction being looked at as the toughest guy in the NHL.”

The bottom line, says veteran Chris Simon, is that fighting will always be in the NHL but in a different form.

“The difference is that it’s not guys fighting for no reason anymore,” said the rugged New York Islanders winger. “If you need to give your team a boost or there’s physical play in front of the net and guys get angry, that’s basically how the fights are happening now.

“I think all the guys now can play a regular shift. They can play hockey and fight as well.”

Quelle: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=185327&hubname=nhl

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