LA Kings conquer West, await Cup final opponent (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 12:52:30 PDT)
LOS ANGELES (AP) Few NHL teams have ever peaked in the postseason more perfectly than the Los Angeles Kings.

How the Last 13 Stanley Cup Champions Didn't Repeat, Part 4: Fan's Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 12:46:00 PDT)
In the past 13 years, all 13 Stanley Cup champions fell short of raising the Cup another consecutive time. The first part of my series looked at how the champions from 1999, 2000 and 2001 failed to repeat. Part two studied how the 2002, 2003 and 2004 champions missed the chance to win again. Last week, part three explained how the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 champions were undone the next year. Finally, this series ends by exploring the way the 2010, 2011 and 2012 champions went home early.

Alain Vigneault signs extension with Vancouver Canucks because he’s excellent (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 12:30:14 PDT)
When Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis signed his contract extension earlier this month, the conversation turned to the future of coach Alain Vigneault. His return was never a guarantee, given the team's President's Trophy-to-first-round-exit performance and the fact that Vingeault has been on and off the hot seat since 2008. But Gillis gave him an endorsement: "He has done an excellent job and I don't know why you wouldn't want somebody back who has done an excellent job and has the results to show for it," said the GM. On Wednesday, the Canucks made a most excellent decision: Signing Vigneault, 51 to a contract extension. From the Canucks: "Alain has established himself as one of the premiere coaches in the National Hockey League," said Gillis. "He has demonstrated a commitment to winning that has led to back-to-back Presidents' Trophies and we are confident his dedication and hard work will continue to yield positive results. Alain has built a foundation of winning with this franchise and I feel he can continue to build on that foundation to achieve our ultimate goal." "I am pleased to be signing this extension to continue as the Head Coach of such an outstanding organization," said Vigneault. "I look forward to taking the next step with this franchise in bringing the Stanley Cup to Vancouver. I feel fortunate to be able to work with such a dedicated group of management, coaches and players in this great city I love." Vigneault had one more season left on his current deal. Had the Canucks severed ties with him, heavy speculation had him potentially returning to the Montreal Canadiens to fill that vacancy.

Canucks extend contract for coach Vigneault (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 12:03:08 PDT)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) The Vancouver Canucks have signed head coach Alain Vigneault to a contract extension.

Dubinsky returns for Game 5; No hearing for Brown; Spacek rips Habs (Puck Headlines) (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 11:29:50 PDT)
• John Tortorella, when asked how he was going to get his forwards going on Tuesday: "Pray." He then read an excerpt from his memoir on a trip he took around the world after splitting from the Tampa Bay Lightning. • By the way, in case it wasn't clear that John Tortorella's sense of humour is lacking, on Wednesday morning he made it clear that he was joking about prayer and retracted the joke. [ NHL ] • No hearing for Dustin Brown for his controversial collision with Michal Rozsival. [ LA Kings Insider ] • Brandon Dubinsky returns to the Rangers' lineup for Game 5. [ Newsday ] • Showing some much-needed attention to the Devils' relatively anonymous blueline. [ NJ ] • An argument for shaking up the New York Rangers' lines by removing Carl Hagelin from the top unit: "Hagelin is currently playing top line minutes with the Rangers two most skilled forwards, and ha exactly zero goals to show for it. That's no goals and just three assists in 18 games so far this postseason. No matter which way you look at this, it's unacceptable to have a top line player with zero goals in 18 games. At some point, changes need to be made." [ Blue Seat Blogs ] • Jaroslav Spacek claims he might have retired at the end of the year if he had finished it in Montreal, and rips the Canadiens hockey operations team, from the bizarre rules for the players to the total lack of communication. "'So much bad stuff,' Spacek said. 'In my 20-year hockey career, I'd never seen anything like it. If you don't like the way I play, kick me in the ass. But no one said anything. It was terrible.'" [ Montreal Gazette ] • Another major step towards the Phoenix Coyotes staying in Arizona was taken after the team was eliminated last night, as the Glendale City Council voted to approve a preliminary budget that includes $17 million to the prospective buyer of the team for operating costs for the city's Jobing.com Arena." [ Winnipeg Free Press ] • The Wild have signed 2010 first-round pick Mikael Grandlund to his entry-level contract. He announced the deal himself in a video on the Wild's website. [ Wild ] • Michael Arace on the American invasion in the NHL. [ Blue Jackets Xtra ] • Alex Semin cuts his forehead on his gold medal, which is a very enigmatic thing to do. [ RMNB ]

Marek Vs. Wyshynski Radio: Tyson Nash, Mike Brophy, Dustin Brown’s hit and Devils/Rangers (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 10:45:21 PDT)
It's a Wednesday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT , and we're talking about the following and more: Special Guest Stars: Tyson Nash gives us a post-mort on the Phoenix Coyotes and takes on the Dustin Brown hit. Mike Brophy of Sportsnet looks at the Stanley Cup Playoffs and other matters. • In which Marek and Wysh preview Game 5 between the Devils and Rangers. • The Shane Doan, Keith Yandle and Coyotes go off on officiating. • The evils of the handshake line. • Puck Headlines and Talking Points Question of the Day: Overheard in the Kings/Coyotes handshake ally last night was... Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski . Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner .

Rested and ready, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist remains New York's best player and best chance
(Wed, 23 May 2012 10:38:30 PDT)
The Rangers rarely score more than a few goals, and that's not about to change. But with Lundqvist in net, they've always got a chance to win.

You won't catch me on the ice or the ballpark: Bolt
(Wed, 23 May 2012 10:09:43 PDT)
Usain Bolt has vowed not to swap his sprinting spikes for a pair of skates after news that Jamaica had been accepted as a member nation of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

In which Dustin Penner, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards edit their NHL narratives (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 09:00:40 PDT)
Why are the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final? Because the two drunk, locker room cancers helped set up a lazy fat-ass for the game-winning goal. At least that's how it would have been framed about eight months ago, when the narratives about Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Dustin Penner had defined them as players. The first two were banished from the Philadelphia Flyers, ostensibly for cap relief in the pursuit of a No. 1 goaltender (or, failing that, Ilya Bryzgalov) but mostly for a culture change in the dressing room. Penner, meanwhile, was (a) a waste of salary compared to production and (b) out of shape and (c) lazy to the point where his general manager suggested he might be better off playing for the El Cid Lounge in a men's softball league . In overtime of Game 5 in the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night, Richards won the faceoff near the defensive zone. Slava Voynov moved it up the boards, and Penner kept the puck alive in the attacking zone on the forecheck, sending a nifty backhand pass to a streaking Carter. He fired the puck off of Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith with Richards causing chaos on front of the net, helping to clear the slot for Penner to fire home the rebound over Smith's glove. With that, the Kings were headed to the Cup Final. This trio was maligned and decried for the better part of 2011-12. Yet it was this Dry Island of Misfit Toys that has the Kings four wins away from the first Stanley Cup.

Devils-Rangers Preview (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 08:45:34 PDT)
NEW YORK (AP) Practice for the New York Rangers went from optional to mandatory. Their attitude shifted from agitated to optimistic.

Finnish star Granlund signs with Minnesota Wild (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 08:40:22 PDT)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Finnish star forward Mikael Granlund has signed his contract with the Minnesota Wild and will join the offensively challenged team for training camp.

Misunderstood Kirill Kabanov is maturing and focusing on hockey
(Wed, 23 May 2012 08:05:27 PDT)
The Shawinigan Cataractes forward no longer cares about how he's perceived by those who don't know him.

Stanley Cup Playoff overtimes: Historically, when are goals most likely to be scored? (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 07:06:07 PDT)
The Los Angeles Kings did some unpredictable things, statistically speaking, en route to making the Stanley Cup Final: Like going 8-0 on the road, nearly having as many shorthanded goals (5) as power-play goals (6) and beating the top three seeds in the conference. Dustin Penner's Western Conference Final-winning goal was no exception. Pancakes scored at 17:42 of the first and only overtime, and according to the history of Stanley Cup Playoff overtime, that's an exception to the expected. Chris Winchester, a Detroit Red Wings for 35 years and a PD reader, put together a spreadsheet that looked at when goals were scored in playoff overtimes going back to expansion in 1968. From Winchester: I always had the feeling that most overtimes ended in the first 5 minutes or so of overtime.  After compiling the data for every playoff overtime game it turns out that over 40 percent of overtime games ended in the first five minutes of the extra period. I did not calculate the fact that the game may have ended in the 2nd or 3rd overtime, just the time the goal was scored during the extra period. In other words, the following chart doesn't account for in which overtime the goal was scored, but rather when in that overtime it was scored. Via Winchester, the numbers; click here for the much larger, clearer image. Again, take a gander at the full chart here . A few thoughts on this chart …

A tribute to the Phoenix Coyotes’ abundant talent (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 05:52:58 PDT)
Although their postseason ended with a Game 5 Western Conference overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Phoenix Coyotes deserve attention for this mammoth effort. It was said they wouldn't show up big in the Stanley Cup Playoffs — yet they clearly did. No one believed they'd round into form — yet they clearly did. It was said they didn't have the assets — yet they clearly did. Alas, they bounced last night, despite becoming a trending topic in Canada. They will be missed. Congrats again to the Phoenix Coyotes and Coach Dave Tippett, who apparently can be seen somewhere in this image. As the Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan once sang: "I will remember you ... weep not for the mammaries."

Kings await Eastern winner in Finals (The SportsXchange)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 02:21:23 PDT)
After a 19-year wait, the Los Angeles Kings have returned to a land last traversed by Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Kelly Hrudey and pals: the Stanley Cup Finals.

Coyotes disappointed for different reasons after elimination (The SportsXchange)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 02:21:23 PDT)
The Coyotes were livid at the end of Game 5 -- about what they saw as a brutal hit by Kings captain Dustin Brown that sent defenseman Michal Rozsival out of the game with a knee injury, and about the goal by Dustin Penner seconds later that ended their season.

Kings edge Coyotes 4-3 in overtime to win West (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 01:13:43 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) A great road playoff run has the Los Angeles Kings in a place they haven't been since the Great One was skating in Southern California.

Kings advance to Stanley Cup final with OT goal just seconds after Dustin Brown's controversial hit
(Wed, 23 May 2012 01:12:45 PDT)
Dustin Brown delivered a borderline bodycheck on Michal Rozsival that enraged the Coyotes and might result in a call from the league for the Kings captain.

Glendale council takes 1st step in Coyotes sale (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 23:56:55 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Glendale City Council has approved a preliminary budget that includes $17 million to be paid to the prospective buyer of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes for operating costs for the city's Jobing.com Arena.

Coyotes’ Mike Smith believes Dustin Brown should be ‘done forever’ for Rozsival hit; slams Game 5 officiating (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 23:10:50 PDT)
Mike Smith was frustrated after his Phoenix Coyotes were eliminated in Game 5 of the Western Conference final. He saw his MVP performance fall short of the Stanley Cup Final. His gaffe led to a Los Angeles Kings goal. And at one point, he had to play without a glove. Whether or not that earns him leeway is up to you. Just keep that in mind as you read Smith torching the officiating and calling for Dustin Brown to receive a massive suspension for his OT hit on Michal Rozsival. First, on Brown ( s/t Jared Cohen ), Smith said: "When Brown gets away with something like that after the whistle — knee on knee, that's a dangerous play. If Raffi Torres gets 25 games for his hit during the play, this guy should be done forever." Forever seems like a long time for a hit that was thigh-on-thigh. But Smith also had very harsh words for the referees — both in Game 5 and throughout the season.

Kings cruise into Stanley Cup finals
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:56:40 PDT)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Kings booked their place in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in almost 20 years after wrapping up the NHL Western Conference title with a 4-3 overtime win over Phoenix in Game Five on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s Three Stars: Penner’s overtime winner puts Kings in the Final (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:50:33 PDT)
No. 1 Star: Dustin Penner, Los Angeles Kings Penner's 2-point night gave him 10 points this postseason, a career best for him. His assist set up Mike Richards' goal in the second period, but it was his own goal that gave the Kings a 4-3 overtime victory to put them into the Stanley Cup Final: No. 2 Star: Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings Quick stood tall making 38 saves as the Kings won their eighth straight road game in the playoffs becoming the first team to reach the Final doing so, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He came up big early in the first period with this save on Radim Vrbata: No. 3 Star: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings Doughty's two points were involved in tying goals early in the game. His assist in the first period helped set up Anze Kopitar's shorthanded tally, while his goal midway through the second period tied the game 2-2.

Mike Milbury vs. Jeremy Roenick over Dustin Brown’s Game 5 OT hit on Michal Rozsival (VIDEO) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:30:42 PDT)
The Los Angeles Kings are skating to the Stanley Cup Final, but the story after Game 5 of the Western Conference Final was the hit Dustin Brown put on Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Michal Rozsival right after an offside whistle — on the shift preceding Dustin Penner's series-winning goal in overtime. Was it a penalty? Should it be a suspension? NBC Sports Network's Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick saw this one in slightly different ways. To summarize: Milbury felt the hit by Brown, a player with a reputation for playing "on the edge," was well after the whistle and should have been avoided. Roenick felt it was humanly impossible to avoid the hit at that velocity, and that it was a clean hit. Said Brown after the game: "He's trying to get away of the way, and I'm trying to finish my check. I didn't stick my knee out."

Watch Kings, Coyotes in hostile handshake line after Dustin Penner sends LA to Stanley Cup Final (VIDEO) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:00:10 PDT)
For a team that's gone from punchline to champion, Dustin Penner was the perfect player to send the Los Angeles Kings to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. His goal at 17:42 of overtime gave the Kings a 4-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 5, and L.A. heads to the Cup Final for the first time since 1993. But after the Kings' celebration, the real drama started: The most contentious, hostile handshake line in recent memory, as the Coyotes players verbally assailed Kings captain Dustin Brown, whose controversial hit took out defenseman Michal Rozsival moments before Penner's goal with no penalty called: Here's another look at the handshake line: