Looking to make a wager on who the next head coach of the Vancouver Canucks will be?
Betting site, bodog.ca, has set the line on betting odds.
Former Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff leads the list of candidates, and is considered the favorite at 2 to 1 odds of becoming the next head coach in VanCity.
Canucks GM Mike Gills canned long time head coach Alain Vigneault earlier this week for his failure to advance the Nucks beyond the first round the past two seasons after he guided the team to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals agaisnt Boston two seasons ago.
Ruff is the best man for this job. Gillis would be foolish not to hire Lindy.
Here are the candidates and their respective bodog.ca odds:
Lindy Ruff: 2/1
Dallas Eakins: 5/2
Dave Tippett: 5/2
Scott Arniel: 9/1
Tom Renney: 9/1
Doug Houda: 12/1
Larry Robinson: 12/1
I love how this list includes some serious Buffalo flavor. Ruff obviously played for and coached the Sabres, as did Arniel and Houda. Betcha didn't know that Renney is foirmer Sabres badass and 50 goal scorer, Danny Gare's, brother-in-law. Its true.
It was 43 years ago this week when the Sabres and Canucks entered the NHL together as expansion franchises. The Sabres drafted Gilbert Perreault, while the Canucks drafted Dale Tallon.
If the report on Tappara's website is true, then Fredonia's Nick Ballen is leaving the Rochester Americans to pursue his pro hockey career in the Finnish elite League.
The 5'9 185 puck mover played one season at Bowling Green before transferring to RPI for the final three years of his NCAA college hockey career. The Rochester American's signed Ballen late in their regular season. He played and recorded three assists in five regular season games. He was held scoreless in three playoff games vs. the Toronto Marlies.
In his senior season at RPI, Ballen achieve his NCAA career personal best by scoring 12 goals and added 19 assists in 35 games played.
Kevin Oklobzija of the Rochester D and C spoke with Ballen's agent, Steve Bartlett out the Fredonia's native's path. The name of Brian Rafalski is often used as a comparable to Ballen. Rafalski left the University of Wisconsin and played four seasons in Europe before starring the NHL. Ballen is similar in stature and skill to Rafalski. Hopefully Ballen follows in the same skate strides as Rafalski.
You are about to enter Chicago's first three game losing streak of this lockout -shortened season.
What began as an impressive record-setting 24 game streak without a regulation loss, has evolved into a frustrating gang style alley fight with their arch rivals from Detroit.
Its amazing to reflect on Chicago's accomplishments now. They lost only seven times in regulation in the 53 games ( Chicago beat Minnesota in first round) before their second round MMA fight with Detroit.
The Hawks are now left staring down the gun barrel of their first three game losing streak of this most noteworthy of season in their teams history.
The Blackhawks have NEVER won a postseason series after losing three of the first four games.
The underdog, seventh-seeded Red Wings are in position now to knock out the Blackhawks on their home ice on Saturday night.
What's the cause of the Blackhawks' struggles?
Look no further than their primary and secondary scoring. Kane, Hossa and Sharp are doing their part to light the lamp, however, Captain Serious Jonathon Toews is shooting blanks.
The Blackhawks' top five scorers are Patrick Sharp (6 goals, 4 assists), Patrick Kane (2 goals, 6 assists), Marian Hossa (4 goals, 3 assists) and Keith (1 goal, 5 assists). Toews isn't the only Hawk star in a miserable scoring slump. Brent Seabrook has had his ice time reduced dramatically in the past two games (zero goals, zero assists , minus-3) and Dave Bolland (zero goals, zero assists, minus-2 in four games) have been sequestered and silenced.
Toews, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup championship run, still hasn't scored a goal and has three assists in this postseason. Toews ranks seventh on the Blackhawks' scoring list.
Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg is tormenting Toews to the point that he has pooped his cork. In the game four loss on Thursday night, Toews unraveled right before our eyes and took three minor penalties in the second period. Zetterberg is in Toews' head right now. Joel Quennville stubbornly continues to play Toews head-up on Zetterberg, and the Blackhawks are losing the battle. You'd think by now that Coach Q would flip his script and get Toews away from the leisure-suit tight, restrictive defense that Zetterberg in applying to the Chicago captain. What's Quennville waiting for? Its do-or-die time.
Thanks, Blackhawks TV
Thanks, Blackhawks TV
Corey Crawford has allowed only nine goals in the first four games of the Detroit series. He allowed only one goal against in Chicago's only win of the series in Game One, however, since then he's allowed 4,3, and one goal respectively.
Thanks, Blackhawks TV
The Blackhawks face elimination on home ice on Saturday night. If Toews can't get his "A" game in gear, he and his team will be heading to their summer cottages prematurely.
Begs the question:
If the Red Wings actually do pull off the upset of the century, will Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks front office be making sweeping changes to their lineup to avoid any future disappointments? If so, will the Hawks be of the mind to trade one of its top players like Kane, Hossa or Seabrook?
Patrick Roy will be carrying a dual portfolio for the Colorado Avalanche. He will serve as their head coach, and, will also perform the role of VP of Hockey Operations. Lindy Ruff should take notice of Roy's coaching and management portfolio. The coach should have say so in his player personnel.
The team made the Patrick Roy play hiring official late Thursday afternoon.
The Denver Post reports that because of the memorial day long holiday weekend in the States, the Avs have said that Roy's introductory news conference will be next week in Denver.
Roy now becomes the team's sixth head coach. He will have many pleasurable experiences coaching all-world players like Landeskog, Duchene, O'Reilly, Stastny, and Johnson in the Rockies. I'm curious to see how Roy handles his goaltending situation. Will he stand pat with Semyon Varlamov, or, will he ask Joe Sakic for an upgrade at the position that he mastered in his NHL career. Roy will not accept mediocrity or middle of the road play from his tenders. He's a Hall of Famer for a reason. he's a perfectionist and he sets very high expectations for all skaters and his goaltenders. Ryan Miller may be the type of upgrade that Roy and Sakic will be seekong in the next five weeks leading up to the NHL Entry Draft which will occur in Newark, NJ on June 30th.
The Avs have executed an extreme makeover in its front office and coaching staff in the past three weeks.
They won the NHL Draft Lottery's first pick, which they will presumably invest in Denver native Seth Jones. However, Roy has coached against sniper Nathan MacInnon in The Q.
Hall of Famer Joe Sakic was named the team's Exec VP of Hockey Operations on May 10. Roy and his great friend and former teammate Sakic will collaborate together, with Sakic having the final say and veto power on such things as the draft, trades, free agency, and other personnel decisions.
Roy told the Denver Post:
"I would like to thank Stan and Josh Kroenke for this opportunity as well as Joe Sakic for the trust they are putting in me," Roy said. "Almost 10 years to the day that I announced my retirement as a player I am back in Denver and hope the fans are as excited as I am."
Roy has been very involved in the day to day operations of the QMJHL Quebec Remparts, where he served as head coach and GM. Roy coached his sons Jonathon and Freddie while he was the head coach of the Remaprts. Roy compiled an impressive 348-196-0 record in his eight seasons in QCity.
The Roycky Mountain way is better than the way they had. Listen closely to Joe Walsh's orgasmic solo. You'll hear his Les Paul grind out the unmistakable rhythm of:
"Roy, Roy Roy Roy Roy Roy Roy Royyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy......."
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