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| RECENT NHL TEAM NEWS |
| Coverwire Update |
| VAN |
7/3/2008 |
| The Canucks renewed their affiliation agreement with the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL on Thursday. Established in 2004 after relocating from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Salmon Kings became an affiliate of the Canucks on July 18, 2006. Victoria, which plays in the West Division of the ECHL’s National Conference, were one of the nine expansion teams to join the league in 2004-05. Last season, Victoria claimed the West Division title with a 42-23-4-3 record and defeated the Bakersfield Condors on the conference quarterfinals of the Kelly Cup playoffs before losing to the Utah Grizzlies in five games in the conference semifinals.
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| PHO |
7/3/2008 |
| The Coyotes on Thursday signed a two-year affiliation agreement with the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League. The Rampage have been the Coyotes’ affiliate since the 2005-06 season. Along with San Antonio GM Brad Treliving, Maloney will make all hockey-related decisions for the Rampage. Last season, San Antonio set a team record by collecting 94 points during the regular season, the third-highest total by an AHL affiliate of Phoenix. The Rampage, who play their home games at the AT&T Center, qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time since their inaugural season in 2002-03, posting a 42-28-3-7 record. |
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| NYI |
6/29/2008 |
| The Islanders are not expected to be major players when free agency begins July 1, the New York Newsday reports. They will try to re-build from within as they have struggled attracting high-end players (recall Ryan Smyth). GM Garth Snow confirmed: "We're not going to be major players on July 1...The emphasis for me is on the plan we've been talking about, which is developing our own players." Snow stockpiled picks in the June Entry Draft in hopes of infusing the system with more talent. While it looks like it's going to be a rough ride on Long Island for a couple of years, the Isles are hoping their current plan will eventually turn the franchise around. |
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| TAM |
6/25/2008 |
| A day after locking down a new coach, the Lightning will now have to try and fill a hole in the front office. Bill Barber, the Lightning’s director of player personnel the past six seasons, will resign effective July 1, the team announced Wednesday. During his tenure, Barber, 55, played a vital role in helping put together Tampa Bay’s lone Stanley Cup winning team in 2004. Bothered by the arduous travel associated with his job, Barber decided to step aside to spend more time with his family. A Hall of Fame player, Barber won a pair of Stanley Cup titles with the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring 420 goals and 1,303 points in 12 seasons. He also served 18 years as a coach and scout for the Flyers. Later Wednesday, Tampa Bay named Brian Lawton vice president of hockey operations. Lawton spent the past 14 years as an NHL player agent. The 42-year-old was the first U.S.-born hockey player chosen first overall when he was selected by the Minnesota North Stars in 1983. The New Jersey native played in 483 games for six different NHL clubs. |
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| EDM |
6/25/2008 |
| Nearly a decade after he played his last game for the Oilers, Kelly Buchberger is returning to the organization.
Buchberger, the Oilers’ captain for four seasons from 1995-99, was named an assistant coach for the team on Wednesday. He spent last season as head coach of the Springfield Falcons, the Oilers’ affiliate in the American Hockey League. Buchberger, 41, guided the Falcons to a 35-35-10 record, the first time they reached the .500 mark since the 1998-99 season. Buchberger spent 13 of his 18 NHL seasons with the Oilers, making his debut during the first three games of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals. He was a part of two Stanley Cup teams in Edmonton and played in 795 regular-season games for the Oilers before being claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers in the expansion draft on June 25, 1999.
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| CHI |
6/25/2008 |
| A St. Louis radio report that said Scotty Bowman, the Hall of Fame coach and current consultant to the Detroit Red Wings, was close to taking a job with the Blackhawks as the head of hockey operations appears to be unfounded, according to the Chicago Tribune. "As long as I'm healthy and there's no change in ownership in Detroit, there will be no change," Bowman told the Detroit Free Press. The rumor may have started because Bowman's son, Stan, is a Blackhawks assistant general manager. |
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