► Ships passing: Andreas Engqvist is on his way to Montreal after being called up from Hamilton by the Canadiens. Engqvist will be available if needed for Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. He played his first NHL game on January 21, 2011 against the Ottawa Senators.
Aaron Palushaj is headed in the opposite direction after a three-game call-up. Palushaj had his best game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In Sunday’s match against the Wild, Palushaj was examined in the dressing room when Minnesota defenseman Clayton Stoner left his feet to deliver a hit.
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► Help on the way: Canadiens NCAA prospect Joe Stejskal has signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens and will report to Hamilton this week according to the Fargo Hockey Examiner. Stejskal is a 6’3″, 205 lb. defenseman chosen by the Canadiens in the fifth round (133rd overall) of the 2007 NHL Amateur Draft. Stejskal completed his college career with the Dartmouth (ECAC) on the weekend.
“Senior defenseman Joe Stejskal (Grand Rapids, Minn.) [was] named All-ECAC for the 2010-11 season. This is the second honor this year for Stejskal, who was named second team All-Ivy. He finished the year with five points as all three of his goals tallied came in Dartmouth victories. Stejskal was part of the Big Green’s top defensive pairing as he helped the team finish second in ECAC Hockey in penalty killing and third in scoring defense. Nationally the Big Green is ranked top-20 in those two categories.”
Joe Stejskal Named to the All-ECAC team
All Habs: Articles tagged Joe Stejskal
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► Ovie free zone: The Washington Capitals will be without Alexander Ovechkin for the next seven-to-ten days as he recovers from a nagging undisclosed injury. This has to be greeted as good news by the Montreal Canadiens who face the Capitals at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. Washington has won 10 of their past 11 games and is within two points of the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Flyers.
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► Busted: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke has been suspended for the remainder of the regular season (10 games) and the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for delivering an elbow to the head of New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh in their game yesterday, the National Hockey League announced today. Cooke will forfeit $219,512.20 in salary.
Cooke suspended rest of regular season, round one
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► Justice: NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell on the Cooke suspension:
“Mr. Cooke, a repeat offender, directly and unnecessarily targeted the head of an opponent who was in an unsuspecting and vulnerable position. This isn’t the first time this season that we have had to address dangerous behavior on the ice by Mr. Cooke, and his conduct requires an appropriately harsh response.”
On a day that everyone is cheering Campbell’s name, perhaps it’s a bit of a buzz-kill to point out that Campbell’s words, “directly and unnecessarily targeted the head of an opponent who was in an unsuspecting and vulnerable position” could easily apply to Zdeno Chara‘s hit on Max Pacioretty.
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► Integrity: Following is a statement from Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero after the National Hockey League ruled today that Penguins forward Matt Cooke will be suspended for the rest of the regular season (10 games) and the first round of the playoffs:
“The suspension is warranted because that’s exactly the kind of hit we’re trying to get out of the game. Head shots have no place in hockey. We’ve told Matt in no uncertain terms that this kind of action on the ice is unacceptable and cannot happen. Head shots must be dealt with severely, and the Pittsburgh Penguins support the NHL in sending this very strong message.”
Ray Shero Statement on Matt Cooke suspension
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► Lack of Respect: Players around the league have been quietly applauding the Cooke suspension. Some have taken the unusual step of speaking out about Cooke. Ryan Whitney of the Edmonton Oilers sent the following message from his Twitter account:
@ryanwhitney6: Nice to see the NHL come through with that suspension. Enough is enough with that guy. #zerorespectforanyone