HEADLINES | Boucher, Lehkonen, Hudon, Gagné, Tallon, Boeser, Sutter, more

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Artturi Lehkonen
Artturi Lehkonen (Photo by TVA Sports)

All Habs Headlines: Monday May 9, 2016
On this day in hockey history… 1976 — Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach extended his Stanley Cup Playoff-record consecutive goal scoring streak to 10 straight games, when the Flyers lost 4-3 in Montreal, in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  1990 — Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach extended his Stanley Cup Playoff-record consecutive goal scoring streak to 10 straight games, when the Flyers lost 4-3 in Montreal, in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.   1994 — Rookie Martin Brodeur recorded his first career playoff shutout in the Devils 2-0 win over the visiting Boston Bruins.
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Artturi Lehkonen (Photo by TVA Sports)

 

► Fiery duo in Ottawa

  • The Ottawa Senators have hired Guy Boucher as their new head coach replacing Dave Cameron who was fired on April 12. Most recently Boucher was the head coach of SC Bern of the Swiss A league.
  • Senators owner Eugene Melnyk had this to say about his new hire, “Over the past three weeks, Pierre Dorion and our hockey operations staff have undertaken a thorough and comprehensive search for our next head coach. Following a detailed evaluation of all coaching candidates, there was overwhelming consensus that Guy was our top candidate. We wanted a great coach and this process yielded our top pick. I couldn’t be happier.”
  • Boucher promises an improved defensive structure with “an aggressive penalty kill and power-play.”
  • On Monday, the Senators hired Marc Crawford as an associate coach.

 

► IceCaps not pleased with Scott

  • Just prior to the Canadiens call-up of John Scott late in the season, the former IceCaps goon had this to say about his teammates when interviewed by the New York Times, “They usually want to go out and get drunk and stay out all night. I just want to have a couple of beers and go home.”
  • As we reported at the time, many members of the St. John’s IceCaps were privately displeased with the disparaging and irresponsible comments from Scott.
  • Last week on l’Antichambre, IceCaps player Charles Hudon said that Scott’s comments came as “quite a shock” to the team.
  • As a new dad, Hudon said, “Personally, I think I held more milk bottles than beer bottles this year. But if we want to have a beer at the end of a hard day, we can and it does happen.”

► Lehkonen Signs

  • Following a fantastic breakout season in the SHL, it appears as though winger Artturi Lehkonen will be heading over to North America to join the Habs. The Montreal Canadiens confirmed rumours of the signing in an official press release on Sunday afternoon.
  • On Saturday, Swedish journalist Thomas Ros reported that the Finnish winger had signed a contract with the Canadiens and will be jumping over the pond to join an offensively decrepit team, prime for offseason change.
  • The rumours haven’t subside for weeks with the eventual result being him signing in Montreal however, Marc Bergevin also confirmed he was in discussions with Martin Reway, who has yet to confirm anything.
  • Omitting his 16 goal, 33 point output in the regular season from the equation, Lehkonen nevertheless had a fantastic season, breaking Daniel Alfredsson’s playoff record in points, with 19, and winning an SHL championship.

► The always classy Brad Marchand

► Gagné Sheds Some Light

  • Simon Gagné is the most infamous example of the effect repetitive concussions has on one’s life and playing career, and during an interview on Radio Ego, he shed a light on the concussion protocol process.
  • “Unfortunately we’re still at that point where a concussion in the playoffs, we’re able to work around it. It’s on the player, I’ve heard a lot that have went “I’m fine I’m fine I’m fine.”
  • The former Flyer was questioned on what the “dark room” truly is saying, “Everybody thinks it’s all dark, they close all the lights but it’s not that, it’s more of a quiet room so the player can’t be disturbed.”
  • Gagné gave the rundown of the process in this way, “The doctor will ask a tone of questions, he has a sheet to fill “Does your head hurt? Are you dizzy? Do you have to throw up?” your balance things like that… And you have to answer from zero to five[…]To come back to play it has to be all zeros.”

► Team Canada update

► Tallon, Rowe, Joyce Promoted

  • The Florida Panthers had a, to say the least, surprising season, with then General Manager Dale Tallon admitting so. Notice I said “then General Manager.”
  • According to multiple reports, including by Elliotte Friedman and George Richards, Tallon will be promoted to a “president of hockey ops-style position,” with Tom Rowe becoming the team’s new GM and Eric Jouce promoted to assistant GM.
  • According to Richards of the Miami Herald “[…] Told Dale will continue doing what he does, with more input from Tom[Rowe]/Eric [Joyce]. Which makes this move a little less strange.
  • In a peculiar first move as unofficial G.M., Rowe has reportedly fired all of the team’s equipment mangers.

► Phenomenal Guy

  • The Vancouver Canucks selected sniper Brock Boeser with the 25th overall pick in last year’s draft, one pick before the Canadiens, and certainly haven’t been displeased with his character.
  • Baylee Bjorge, a senior student with Down Syndrome at Grand Fork Central High School, created a Twitter account to ask Boeser to prom, an account her mother immediately shut down because she doesn’t have an affinity for them.
  • Boeser couldn’t respond, as the account had been shut down so, according to the Grand Forks Herald, he found a mutual friend of Baylee’s mother, got her number and texted her to see if Baylee would still want to go to prom with him.
  • Both Baylee and her mother, Katie, were over the moon. “I’m excited,” Baylee said. “It’s amazing.”
  • “I just couldn’t believe how he went way out of his way to track us down.” said Katie Marcotte.

► Boudreau Finds A New Home

  • The Minnesota Wild were eliminated, what they believe is, prematurely in the post season once again this season, which prompted Wild management to relieve John Torchetti of his duties in order find a new head coach.
  • Bruce Boudreau, who despite his reputation of being a playoff choker took the Ducks to the conference final last season, has signed a four-year deal worth $2.76 million annually according to Adrian Dater.
  • The Wild were downed in six games by the Dallas Stars, and weren’t in the playoff picture prior to firing Mike Yeo, and subsequently promoting John Torchetti, mid-season.
  • Boudeau spent five seasons at the helm in Anaheim, making the post-season four times and getting eliminated in the first round twice, once in the second and once the the western conference final.
  • The former Jack Adams Trophy winner was also in discussions with the Ottawa Senators among other teams.

► Sutter Undecided

  • With a fantastic regular season and early round exit in his back pocket, current free agent head coach Daryl Sutter is still “undecided” when it comes to where he’ll coach next season.
  • According to Friedman, Sutter’s love for Los Angeles does “carry some weight” however his primary goal is to win another Stanley Cup.
  • Sutter will reportedly be making his decision based on what the Kings do in the draft, free agency and via the trading front, no pressure Dean Lombardi.
  • Speaking of Lombardi, he has said publicly that he has put an offer forth to Sutter and that the decision to have him coach the team next season is in his hands.
  • In six season as coach of the Kings Sutter has championed two teams, and missed the playoffs once, that being last season, but recorded 48 wins in 2015-16, getting eliminated in the first round by the San Jose Sharks.

 

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