Boudreau Gets Two Year Extension
Bruce Boudreau is no longer a lame-duck coach (no pun, hence the hyphen). His contract was extended through the 2016-17 season. This is a great move by General Manager Bob Murray. When a player has the ability to tell a coach, “I'm not doing that, I'll be here longer than you…; it makes for a volatile situation especially on a contending team. This added job security gives the coach a little more weight in the locker room. His commitment to bringing a championship back to the O.C. was summed up in his comments to the Ducks website:
“I couldn’t be more excited and would like to thank the Samuelis, Michael Schulman and Bob Murray for extending my contract,… said Boudreau. “I’m determined not only to win, but to do it here, for this organization that has treated me so well. I can’t wait for training camp to get started.…
Saku Koivu Retires
Center Saku Koivu retired today after 18 NHL seasons. In the coming days you will see many tributes to Koivu. He ends his career as one of only four men to win four Olympic Hockey medals and is 155th all-time games played in the NHL I think the measure of the man is reflected in the two NHL awards he won. In 2002, he won the Bill Masterton Memorial Award for Perseverance and Sportsmanship. Koivu was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in September of 2011. He underwent chemotherapy and rehabilitation to return to the Canadiens for the final three games of the regular season and then the playoffs.
Koivu was honored again by the NHL with the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for Leadership and Humanitarian Contribution in 2008. After his battle with Cancer, Koivu started the Saku Koivu foundation in 2002. His foundation raised $2.5M for Montreal General Hospital and its acquisition of the first PET scanner in the city, which helps doctors diagnose cancer in its early stages.
He will be missed.
-Ed
I need a scout. If any of you are attending the prospects games this weekend, please PM me.