Hockey Trade Rumors

Devils accuse a cheap slap shot? Was it!?

Devils point finger at ref, refs ruining the game?

….auvoir Patrick Roy? Should he go, yes…no? If so who will be the replacement?

Rangers quiet in coach hunt.Only 1:17 into the game, Pavel Kubina took a hard slap shot entering the neutral zone, which hit Scott Steven’s left side of the head knocking him flat on the ice.

No skull damages to the Devils captain, however, was it a cheap intentional shot?

Marty the ‘Shh, don’t tell mom i spent time with your aunt’ Brodeur commented on Kubina’s shot.

“It’s a pretty strange way to shoot the puck. “There are three ways to dump the puck, but you don’t do it that way. It’s strange that he took a slap shot at him that hard. I don’t know what he was trying to do. It’s hard to say if he did it on purpose.”

Daneyko adds… “I probably shouldn’t say it, but you really wonder whether that might have been planned.

“The way he made the play, it didn’t look very smart. I wondered about it.”

I mean, come on….don’t get ridiculous! I don’t care if Kubina is stupid to take a careless shot like that, but to say it was planned? Outrageous! Then if that’s what they think, they ought to think Scott Stevens’ hit on Lindros was planned as well. Hmm, 88 is back from a head injury, numbnut’s head is down, I will knock him out. That play was more intentional and “planned” than Kubina’s slap shot.

John Tortorella responds: “Absolutely not. That’s bullshit. That does not happen. That will not happen with this club.”

I thought it was bull____ as well to accuse the Bolts and Kubina to have planned that. That play means just as much as careless use of stick. The Devils are the only ones to think of such, while no media source has not agreed with the Devils response to that event.

While making angry gestures, Devils Head Coach Pat Burns commented on the referee’s decision in last night’s game. “But I think, after all these years in the league, am I that stupid that I would put four forwards and one defenseman in a 3-3 tie in the third period? I think everybody who knows me here knows I’m not that stupid. I might be halfway stupid, but I’m not that stupid. It was the wrong call!” says Pat Burns.

Was it? Ref Joanette made Colin White leave the ice and forced Burns to leave John Madden on the ice to have four forwards and one defenseman. It was the shift that caused the game winner for the Lightning.

I would have to see the replay of that again, but I would trust Pat Burns. These refs are competing for dumb and dumber while NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is acting like Baghdad Bob by saying that the refs are doing a great job. Sure they are! He’s got GM Lou Lamoriello and GM Bobby Clarke as the two latest complainers on the refs. Officials have been horrible all season long and especially in the playoffs. No one should deny that…the refs have proved it enough times.

Bad refs = bad games.

Is it time to say ~~~Auvoir~~~ Patrick Roy!?

From Spector’s Rumors: DENVER POST: Adrian Dater reports RDS commentator and former Montreal Canadiens coach Jacques Demers suggests Colorado Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy may retire in the coming weeks. Quoting a source supposedly close to Roy, Demers – who coached Roy in Montreal and supposedly maintains a close relationship with him – believes the future Hall-of-Famer may decide to pack it in while his skills are still “relatively sharp”. Demers also cited concern over Roy’s ailing hips. Meanwhile, Roy’s agent, Bob Sauve, is denying his client has made a decision to retire, saying only that Roy is still considering his options. If Roy does retire this summer, Dater claims the Avalanche will have to dip into the UFA market for a short-term replacement, and could make a pitch for Phoenix’s Sean Burke.

It’s something worth mulling. Roy is getting old, he is not the goalie he was two years ago. SHould he retire? I say no and I will say this for both parties, Avalanche and Roy. There is one more season left before the CBA expires. The Avalanche are a playoff team and can definitely make a better run for next season. Roy should give it one more shot, however, he must play less games. Five rings looks better than four! On the Avalanche side, there is not much on the market to replace Roy. Sean Burke is a possibility, but he will come at a very hefty price. Worth it? No. The there may be Byron Dafoe avilable if he declines his player option with the Thrashers. And…that’s about it. Felix Potvin? No. I mean, conclusion is….no goalie will replace Roy. Any acquisition will be a downgrade in the crease.

Last year, deja vu, the Rangers were hitting headlines during the playoffs for the coach hunt. This year they have been very quiet. Larry Robinson has been the first candidate to be reported in the media. NYDailyNews reported that Rangers GM Glen Sather contacted Devils GM Lou Lamoriello to ask permission to talk to the former Stanley Cup winner Devils Head Coach. The DailyNews believes the Lamoriello did give permission, and Robinson was asked about the situation.

“I’d be stupid not to talk to anybody,” Robinson said. “I’m not going to just jump back into (coaching) because the first job came along, but if it’s the right situation, I’d consider it.”

While he may be the right choice, definitely a top option, for the Rangers, does Larry have the character to handle a Rangers team such as this? Who knows, and I kind of doubt that. I heard that he is a player’s coach and may be too nice and not demanding enough. However, he knows the right systems, which the Rangers need, and he knows how to turn defensemen’s careers around, which is what Poti needs.

Rangers should hire a coach by mid-June.