All Habs Headlines: Tuesday June 13, 2012
On this day in hockey history… Happy Birthday to former Canadiens’ Valeri Bure (38) and Ryan McDonagh ( 23).
ALL HABS HEADLINES
►Lefebvre to guide Dogs? TVA Sports has broken a story that the Montreal Canadiens are set to announce that ex-Hab Sylvain Lefebvre will replace Clement Jodoin as coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs for the coming season. It is unclear what this means for Jodoin at this point; it’s possible he’s considered for an assistant job in Montreal, or he may leave the organization.
Lefebvre, 44, played for the Canadiens from 1989 to 1992, part of a career that spanned 945 games. He won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
Following his retirement, Lefebvre served as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters for two seasons from 2007 to 2009. Seen as an up-and-comer on the coaching scene, he has been an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche for the last 3 years. While many had foreseen a top QMJHL coach filling this role, Lefebvre seems to have the right profile as a young coach, known to be a good teacher, and with the potential to someday head an NHL club.
► The rich (want to) get richer: When watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a common refrain among our readers was “Parise would look good in a Habs jersey next year.” Zach Parise is due to become a unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The 27-year-old winger of the New Jersey Devils will be one of the most pursued free agents of a shallow pool this summer.
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Star claims that Dean Lombardi and the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings will be at the front of the line. Simmons writes that the Devils captain is “No. 1 on [the Kings] off-season shopping list.”
► Lappy retires: Ian Laperriere has officially retired from the NHL, more than two years after he played his last game. The Philadelphia Flyers forward has been suffering from post-concussion symptoms after suffering a fractured orbital bone during a 2010 playoff game — a puck hit him in the right eye. Cap rules prevented an earlier announcement that everyone knew was coming — with his contract having expired, the time was right.
Laperiere has been working with Flyer’s prospects for the past two seasons.
“I’m just glad I had a chance to wear the orange and black. It’s something I would have missed, just to play for a team that cares so much about their fans and cares so much about their players. I’m not saying that everywhere else I played they didn’t care about their players, but nothing compared to what the Flyers are.” — Ian Laperriere
►Devils keep pick: In a move that will have writers scrambling to update their mocks, it’s being reported that the New Jersey Devils have opted to keep their 2012 first round draft pick.
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/KatieStrangESPN/status/212701742918418433″]
New Jersey is required to forfeit their choice of one first-round pick in 2012, 2013, or 2014 (they kept the 2011 pick) as penalty by the NHL for circumventing the salary cap by signing Ilya Kovalchuk. The Devils will have the 29th overall selection on June 22.
►All Habs at Development Camp: All Habs Hockey Magazine will once again be providing comprehensive coverage of the Canadiens development camp. Be sure to check the website for daily reports or subscribe to an email capsule so you won’t miss anything. If you are on Twitter monitor the hashtag #allhabs — it will help you be plugged into the latest information.
Be sure that you are following @All_Habs and the newest member of the team @DailyCanadiens. We’ll be glad to respond to your questions live from Brossard.
►Late Night Habs: Talk-show host Craig Ferguson devoted the majority of Tuesday’s monologue to the Stanley Cup winning Los Angeles Kings. TV’s @CraigyFerg also referenced former Montreal Canadiens player Craig Ferguson.
Not a name you remember? Craig Ferguson (the hockey player) was drafted by the Canadiens 146th overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. A career minor-leaguer, Ferguson scored one goal in his 10 games for the 1995-96 Habs. That goal came on October 21, 1995 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on the night that Mario Tremblay made his coaching debut — the Habs won 4-3.
► Grigorenko misses Habs combine: Top-ten ranked draft eligible player, Mikhail Grigorenko had to watch about 40 other members of the 2012 class take the ice at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard. Grigorenko is recovering from mononucleosis and wasn’t given medical clearance to take part in drills being run by Trevor Timmins, Director of Procurement and Player Development.
“I would like to go on the ice just to show people how I skate. I think they would like to see me.” — Mikhail Grigorenko
Grigorenko, Alex Galchenyuk, Matthew Dumba, and Griffin Reinhart are just a few of the players invited to particpate in the Habs combine. You can find the complete list here.
Read more: Frustration for Grigorenko at Habs’ Combine
► New at All Habs Hockey Magazine:
All Habs Top 10: UFA Blueline Targets for Habs
32 Players to Take Part in Habs Development Camp
32 joueurs invités au camp de perfectionnement du CH
Restocking the Habs Cupboard: Drafting Beyond the First Round
Christmas in June: Griffin Reinhart
A Complete Mock Draft for the Montreal Canadiens
Get Your VIP Pass to Habs Draft Party
Vote Now: All Habs 2012 Media Awards
Votez maintenant: les All Habs Media Awards 2012