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We go live tomorrow with our 2009-2010 NHL season wrap-up show.

Be sure to tune in live with us tomorrow from 1-3 p.m. EST.

The Hockey Guys on Blog Talk Radio – link for show tomorrow. Chat room will open approximately 5 minutes prior to show’s puck drop.

The National Hockey League has had many influential players to leave a mark, but not many have done it the way Jacques Lemaire has.

His career is legendary with the Montreal Canadiens, and just as influential as a coach. Today April 26^th, 2010 it was announced that Jacques Lemaire is retiring at the age of 64 years old. “It’s not the team, it is not the result or the lack of result we had in the playoffs,” a glassy-eyed Lemaire said. “It’s not that at all. It’s the end of the line. I’ll be 65. It’s just time.” Lemaire told AP Sports. President Lou Lamoriello mentioned not having thought about a replacement for Lemaire at the time.

The most intriguing thing about Lemaire is his history with the sport of hockey and the amount of influence he has had as a player, executive and a coach. His career began in the 1963-64 playing between the Montreal Junior Canadians and the Quebec Aces before moving up in the 1967-68 season to the Montreal Canadiens or more lovingly known as the Les Habitants. Lemaire played 853 career games, notched 366 goals followed with 469 assists totaling in an incredible total of 835 points. Of those games, goals and assists he went on to win the Stanley Cup an impressive eight times as a player for the Habs and another two as the Assistant General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens. In 1979 he retired as a player and a few short years later in 1984 he was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Lemaire started his coaching career overseas but truly made his mark when he coached the team he had longevity and had insurmountable success with as a player. He coached the Habs 1983-1985, from 1993-1998 he made his mark as the New Jersey Devil coach where he secured his, count them, 11 Stanley Cup titles. From 2000-2009 He was the head coach of the Minnesota Wild until then becoming the coach again of the New Jersey Devils, where he is retiring as head coach not the sport of hockey. He won the very much deserved Jack Adams Award in both 1994 and 2003.

His career is legendary between a player and a coach. His stats are incredible and will continue to be a legend in hockey fan’s eyes for years to come.

So what is next for the Devils as far as coaching staff goes? As of late Lamoriello has made no mention as a possible candidate, however the one in everyone’s sights is on John MacLean. He is a former Devil who won the Cup with them in 1995 before being traded to the Sharks in 1997. MacLean also played for the Rangers and the Dallas Stars, where he finished his career in 2002. In 2002 MacLean began an assistant coaching job with the New Jersey Devils and coached until 2009. All the years 2006, 2007 and 2009 MacLean was offered the head coaching job by the Devils however Claude Julien, Brent Sutter and Jacques Lemaire all got the job over MacLean. As of now Johnny Mac is the head coach of the Lowell Devils and much of the talk between fans, and bloggers is surrounding him and his possible candidacy as the next head coach. Will he be edged out a fourth time? Hard to tell, it is likely however he is the most qualified and understands how to run the program properly and effectively.

Jacques will be missed, his unique coaching style will not be forgotten and coaches all over the continent will be using his infamous trapping style of play for years to come. Best of luck Jacques Lemaire! You are truly influential and inspiring, and will be missed by players and fans alike.

Email: Shannybaby99@gmail.com
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Earlier today, the Minnesota Wild placed veteran winger Petr Sykora on waivers, leaving this reporter wondering what is next for the Stanley Cup champion.

The Wild brought in the veteran winger to supplement the off-season signing of Czech native Martin Havlat. Much to their disappointment, the plan backfired. An injury plagued season created difficulty in earning a roster spot as Sykora played a meager 14 games in a Wild uniform, managing three points and a minus seven rating.

In his career, both the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins placed the veteran on waivers.  Although signed on a try-out basis, Sykora earned a roster spot during the off-season eliciting higher expectations.

Alan Walsh, his agent, made numerous attempts to showcase Sykora via his twitter account, as Michael Russo of The Star Tribune reported earlier this week. When questioned,  coach Todd Richards responded with:

“Playing [James] Sheppard over Sykora is all about roles, and Sheppard was filling Robbie Earl‘s fourth-line, energy role. “I had a chat with Petr [last week],” Richards said. “And Petr even said the same thing to me — that he doesn’t see himself being an effective fourth-line guy, that where he needs to play is the top two lines.”

For a fair 800,000 who would be willing to take a gamble on him?

The Montreal Canadiens lost winger Andrei Kostitsyn for a substantial amount of time.  A healthy Sykora would be a fine stop gap at a very decent cap hit.  If healthy, there lies a  possibility to play a top six role with the Habs as the injured players make their way back into the roster.  The recall of Mathieu Darche, however, negates most speculation.

The New York Rangers, who desperately need scoring help on the wing, should also consider Sykora when considering his price tag and their available cap space.  Still the Rangers already failed to resign him years ago while he felt very comfortable in Manhatten. Given that situations change all the time in hockey, the possibility of second chance arises for Sykora.

The Penguins need to survive the loss of Chris Kunitz, will miss a significant amount of time so they could be a likely destination.  Callup Luca Caputi needs time to develop his game further, as noted by his recent demotion.

The Phoenix Coyotes should also look at bringing the veteran on board. He would be a nice fit with their new found Czech connection as well as their need for scoring it could be the perfect fit.  He played with Petr Prucha in New York and his UFA status creates a perfect opportunity to solidify a playoff seeding.

The red hot New York Islanders should not be left out of this scenario. With only six true veteran players on the roster and the need for a top six forward, the only cost to the team would be placing a waiver claim.  GM Garth Snow would benefit from such a move, considering it costs no assets.  An experiment worth the risk and early enough to take an alternate route.

If Sykora falters, he can be waived once more with the claiming team only losing waiver priority.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Senior Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @ACHockeyGuys

As we approach the midway point of the 2009-10 season in the National Hockey League, many questions remain unanswered.

Which teams are serious about playoff contention?  Who needs a massive upgrade to make the push from a bubble team?  Which team should sell off the year and attempt a mini-rebuild?

Those are some thoughts circulating the League as we take a look at the state of all teams around the NHL.  Now, when perusing through certain rosters some names that could bring in returns which would benefit a team in need of depth.

Today, we look at the defensemen around the NHL likely to be moved by the March 3rd, 2010 trade deadline. As a side note, be sure to tune into “The Hockey Guys” on deadline day as there will be an all day live event with a live chat room for discussion on all the rumors and news as it breaks in the NHL.

If you have not noticed the way d-men are being brought into the NHL, I will help you understand the recent developments. We are beginning to see, more and more, the crop of blueliners entering the NHL have an offensive style game. To give you an example of what I mean:  Drew Doughty, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Duncan Keith, Zach Bogosian, Mike Green, Michael Del Zotto, Shea Weber are a few names from recent drafts with the gift of scoring from the blue line.

When you think playoffs, it’s about experience, two way hockey, leadership and heart and soul type players.  You also think about, outside of goaltending, offense.  However, the defense is an absolute crucial part of a roster and the game as it gives a balance at both ends of the ice.  As a team you need to be able to protect your end of the ice as well as get the puck up the ice to an offensive transition.  So, in summary the blue liners play a very vital part of the team and there will be some names in discussion come the new year and second half of the
NHL season.

Some of the potential names that can see their names sewn onto the back of a different sweater:

As discussed recently here on NHL Hot Stove as well as the recent “The Hockey Guys!” podcast, Scott Niedermayer will be the biggest name on the trading block when the deadline approaches. With the Ducks currently out of a playoff position and the season not looking like it will take a turn for the better, the Ducks would be smart to move out the duel captain (named Candian Olympic team Captain earlier today).  Scott can make one more run at a cup and the Ducks can get an important piece for their future.

Possible destinations: NJD, WSH, LAK, PHI

Joe Corvo, when healthy, provides a team looking to shore up some help on the blue line with veteran experience as well as an offensive touch that can help out a power play when called upon.  The News Observer’s Javier Serna first reported Corvo on the block on December 2nd.

Possible destinations:  PHX, NYI, BOS

Jean-Michael Liles might not be having his best season this year; queue the rumors. Liles could be packaged with a forward in order to get an upgrade up front. He is a good puck mover and has the ability to score from the blue line as well.  Another potential PP QB to add to this list.

Possible destinations: FLA, NJD

Sheldon Souray hears his name come up in rumors all season.  As the Bruce Garrioch of Ottawa Sun reported the Oilers are falling apart and if they can move Souray and relieve
themselves of the cap hit they kill two birds with one stone.  Souray will provide not only a massive shot from the point, but a leader both on and off the ice.  He plays with grit and is one of the better power play quarter backs in the league.

Possible destinations: MTL, NYI, PHX, BOS, WSH

Kim Johnsson and  Marek Zidlicky are both important pieces to the blue line in Minnesota, but if the Wild season doesn’t tame there will not be a playoff appearance. Both players bring puck moving abilities as well as defensive presence.  Pure speculation on my part, but wouldn’t you move these two if your team falls out of the race?

Possible destinations: BUF, NYI, FLA

Michal Rozsival of the New York Rangers, although a hefty price tag, could be shipped out just to have one of the younger blue liners step up and into the line up on a full time basis. It helps free up cap space in New York to acquire more important pieces which are scoring forwards. This could be one of the key figures in a Pavol Demitra deal, or a salary moved to fit said player under the cap.

Possible destinations: VAN, FLA, PHX, BUF

One of Alexander Picard or Chris Campoli, who are both RFA’s at seasons end, could be shopped by the Senators as The Sporting News recently mentioned.   Carlo Colaiacovo and Darryl Sydor of St. Louis could also be shopped.  Sydor would add great veteran depth to a playoff team. Brett Lebda, if the Wings are out of the playoffs around the deadline, could be a welcome addition as well to a younger team.

We hope you enjoyed our latest feature here at the NHL Hot Stove.  You can help NHLHS stay alive by visiting our sponsors to the right.

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Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Contributor
achockeyguys@gmail.com