Quick Hockey Notes
NHL cancels 2005 Entry Draft
As most of you have already learned, the 2005 Entry Draft has been canceled because the CBA has not been finalized and they had to tell the hotels in Ottawa in enough time. I feel awful for the city of Ottawa and all those kids looking forward to being drafted and fulfilling part of their childhood hockey dreams.
The annual amateur draft had been scheduled for June 25-26 in Ottawa, but it was scrapped along with the entire 2004-05 season that was called off Feb. 16. Bill Daly, the NHL’s chief legal officer, said the draft could not proceed without a collective bargaining agreement. He apologized to fans, the city of Ottawa and “to everyone who already had put so much time and effort into creating a memorable weekend for the players and their families.”Â
Just like the city of Atlanta, which lost the chance to host this year’s All-Star game, it is unknown when Ottawa will be able to hold the draft in Canada’s capital. The NHL said the league is committed to bringing the event back there as soon as possible…The earliest Atlanta can host the All-Star festivities is 2008 since the sites for the next two years have been assigned. Roy Mlakar, president and chief executive officer of the Ottawa Senators and Corel Centre, said “‘Hockey Country’ would have put on one of the best NHL entry drafts.”
Kris Draper joins Team Canada for 2005 Tourney
According to TSN.ca, Team Canada’s GM Steve Tambellini successfully recruited the Detroit Red Wings’ Kris Draper for the 2005 World Hockey Championship tournament. Scott Hannan, Ed Jovanovski, and Wade Redden have “reportedly accepted invitations to Team Canada’s training camp [in Calgary] to prepare for next month’s tournament.” Roberto Luongo, Robin Regehr, Martin Brodeur, and Jarome Iginla have all received invitations to joine the team.
Red Wings alumni charity tour
The Detroit Free Press reports that Igor Larionov will be leading a group of Red Wing alumni to play numerous games in Russia.
Igor Larionov will lead Red Wings alumni in a charity game in Minsk, Belarus, against a team whose roster will include Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko. Thursday’s contest is one in a string of seven that will take Larionov, Wings coach Dave Lewis, Kocur and more on a 12-day Russian tour that includes an excursion into Siberia. “We’re going to places I’ve never been,” Lewis said. “The cities in Siberia we’re going to, I can’t pronounce. I’m looking forward to the whole environment, how the culture there differs from Moscow, from Detroit.”Â
The last three games all are around Moscow, where former Wings defenseman Slava Fetisov, now the Russian minister of sport, will join the team. A film crew will document the experience for an eventual TV special. In each city, Larionov hopes to donate equipment to youth hockey programs. Larionov, who retired from the NHL last season, was approached late last year by a group of alumni teams in Russia about the tour. Ever the good sportsman, Larionov readily agreed. “It’s all about making some new friends and promoting the game,” he said.
Sports Illustrated Website
Earlier today I visited the SI website to see if there were any interesting hockey stories to my dismay I noticed that in the main links on the top of the website- the NHL link was missing. I had to search the website to find hockey news. That’s bad news.
For any Philly fans, you can catch a glimpse of goaltender Robert Esche’s iPod playlist.
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