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Alfredsson: Game Time Decision

April 16, 2012, 12:32 PM ET [121 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Updated 3pm EDT.

Daniel Alfredsson skated this morning and made it through his work out with an issue. He's passed his neuropsych test.

Betcha he plays tonight.

When he does, the Ottawa crowd will howl with glee and John Tortarella's head will explode like Mount Vesuvius!


thanks, senators.com



***

Niagara-On-The-Lake native, Zenon Konopka, has been fined $2,500 for chirping a Ranger player during a pregame interview. The incident happened in MSG before Game 2. The league frowns on such things, hence, the maximum fine. The team was also fined $10,000 for not having control over Konopka's yap.

Konopka should've just slammed the Rangers players' face off the glass a couple of times. Same fine as chirping a guy. Why not inflict physical pain as well as mental anguish?





***




Sheriff Shanahan is going to be a busy man. Over the weekend, he ruled on Hagelin-v-Carkner. Later today, he'll sort out the Flyers-Pens gang fight. It didn't have to play out this way for Shanahan. All he had to do was suspend Shea Weber for the nasty heat hit that he applied to Henrik Zetterberg in game one of the playoffs, and all this madness would have been nipped in the bud.

Needless to say, the NHL is getting its fair share of negative attention today as a result of one of the most violent thirty six hour periods in league history.

Right now, I'll focus on the Hageli-Carkner controversy.

The Sens captain skated this morning and spoke with media afterwards. He's a game time decision for Game 3 tonight in Kanata.

The young Ranger received a stiff three game suspension for his head hit on Daniel Alfredsson, while the Ottawa tough guy gets only one game for his barrage of sucker punches on Rangers tough guy Brian Boyle.

Hagelin earned his suspension. No question that his head hit on the Ottawa captain was nasty and suspendable. The problem is that Carkner chose to settle a score on Boyle in a premeditated fashion. Boyle popped Sens Dman, Erik Karlsson, multiple times in Game 1. The Sens were not happy about the brutality directed at their Norris Trophy candidate Dman. Just boys being boys. That is, until Carkner targeted Boyle and fed him a buffet line of sucker shots. Boyle didn't retaliate. He was an unwilling combatant and he was clearly jumped by Carkner.









Carkner spoke yesterday about how he feels that the 5 and game misconduct that he has given by the refs on the ice was more than fair punishment for his act of ignorance on Boyle.



Rangers fans want an eye for an eye. They want Carkner gone for the same three game verdict that Hagelin received.

NHL Czar of Discipline, Brendan Shanahan, is being called out for his lack of consistency in doling out supplemental discipline.

I watched the Rangers-Sens game in Times Square on Saturday night and I can tell you that the Ranger fans who attended the game, which resulted in the OT win for the Sens, are ballistic right now at Brendan Shanahan for his lack of logic in handing down the heavy verdict on Hagelin and the light sentence handed out to Carkner.

Shanahan gusted on "Boomer and Carton" on WFAN this morning.

Shanny should have blown off the phone call, in my opinion. There's more questions than answers right now.




I told you last week that Shanahan set the standard for goonery in the playoffs when he only assessed a $2,500 fine to Nashville's Shea Weber for his disgusting head shots on Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg. Perhaps the Wings GM, Ken Holland, should have lied about Zetterberg's health status when he was phoned by Shanahan the morning after the Shea Weber assault. Maybe then, we'd have gotten a correct standard to punish violence on the ice during the playoffs. Instead, Holland said that Zetterberg was fine and then Shanny only handed Weber a $2,500 slap on the wrist for his jackassery and lack of respect towards his opponent Zetterberg. FYI, $2,500 is the max fine allowed to be handed to a player for discipline, per the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Shanahan's on the hot seat today because he's employing the "wait and see" defense so that he can evaluate the level of injury (or lack thereof) on a cheap shot. He's admittedly basing his suspension decisions on whether or not the victim is legitimately injured. Whats to keep the GM of a team from lying about his players's health status so as to get a heavier suspension levied against an aggressor?


Alfredsson hasn't been ruled "out" as a result of the head hit from Hagelin. What if Alfie plays and then scores the game winning goal?

The bleep is gonna hit the fan if Alfredsson plays in tonight's Game 3 . Ranger fans are going to want a piece of Shanny.


thanks, senators.com






Brandon Prust

thanks, rangers,com



_____________________________________________________________________

Its official. USA Hockey and The Buffalo Sabres are partnering to create an exciting new concept called: The All-American Prospects Game.

Here's the official release from USA Hockey:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey announced today it will stage the first-ever All--American Prospects Game on Sept. 29, 2012, at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York.

The All-American Prospects Game will include 40 of the top American-born prospects eligible for the 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

"It's a concept we've been talking about for a couple of years and we're excited to bring it to life in partnership with the Buffalo Sabres," said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. "The talent level on the First Niagara Center ice on Sept. 29 will be exceptional. We view this game as an opportunity to gain additional exposure for hockey and help influence growth of the sport through showcasing the future stars of the game."

"We're extremely pleased to have this inaugural event come to Buffalo," said Ted Black, president of the Buffalo Sabres. "We have a tremendous working relationship with USA Hockey and I know our fans will embrace the All-American Prospects Game."

USA Hockey expects to announce the players selected to compete in the game in late June or early July.

"Players will come from junior hockey and college hockey, as well as the high school and prep school ranks," said Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. "We'll be in contact with NHL Central Scouting as we build the final list of players invited to compete in this inaugural event."

Johannson noted more information will be forthcoming, including how the teams will be divided and who will coach the teams.

Ticket information is expected to be released in May.

NOTES: Of the first 40 Americans selected in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, 17 came from the United States Hockey League; seven were from U.S. high/prep schools; six played U.S. college hockey; six came from the Ontario Hockey League; four played in the Western Hockey League; and one competed in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League ... Under the current structure, players born between Jan. 1, 1993 and Sept. 14, 1995, will be eligible to be selected in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
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