Bruce Boudreau was introduced as the fourth full-time head coach in Minnesota Wild history Tuesday, and he couldn't be happier about it.
"It's a complete honor for me to be able to come here and coach in the State of Hockey," Boudreau said.
Boudreau's had success in his two stops behind the bench in Washington and Anahiem. He has an impressive 409-192-80 record in 10 seasons, but he admitted he knew he'd be looking for work if the Ducks lost another Game 7, which they did.
The man's only been unemployed for about 10 days over the past 10 years, and Boudreau joked that his wife tells him each time he's out of a job that he better find another one.
General manager Chuck Fletcher said Boudreau was his first choice, and Boudreau's looking forward to taking over.
Boudreau: "The Central Division is the toughest division. It's a great challenge. ... Everything pointed in this direction." #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) May 10, 2016
It'll be a different experience, as Boudreau won't be coaching megastars like Alex Ovechkin, Corey Perry, and Ryan Getzlaf. The Wild have always been known as a defensive juggernaut, and that won't change under Boudreau.
"As much as I like Ovechkin and Getzlaf and Perry, you don't need those guys to win," he said. "You can do it the old-fashioned way," he added. "You do it as a team."
New #MNWild coach Bruce Boudreau: "My job is to find the Achilles heel of every player. And push that button."
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) May 10, 2016
Boudreau focused on his experience and how it will help him transition to the Wild.
"There's not a situation that can come up that I haven't already faced. I've gone through the trials and tribulations."
Fletcher added that John Torchetti, who served as interim head coach after Mike Yeo was fired, was disappointed in the decision and has yet to decide his future.
"He's assessing his options right now," Fletcher said. "If he wants to remain in the organization, I'd love to have him."
Fletcher and Boudreau will sit down and figure out what to do about the rest of the new head coach's staff.
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The Detroit Red Wings added Doug Houda to their coaching staff as an assistant Tuesday, the club announced. He signed a three-year deal, and fills one of two assistant coaching vacancies.
Houda was dismissed from his job with the Boston Bruins after the club missed the playoffs. He spent the last 10 seasons in Beantown.
The tour in Detroit will be Houda's third. He was drafted by the Red Wings in 1984. The details of his role on Jeff Blashill's staff are unclear at this time.
Jeff Blashill says research he did on new assistant Doug Houda convinced Houda very strong on penalty killing. #redwings
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) May 10, 2016
Bruins head coach Claude Julien had nothing but praise for Houda upon his departure.
"Houda is a great coach. He will coach again in this league. The players loved him," Julien said.
The Red Wings have another assistant coach to hire, along with a goalie coach.
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The quotes are flying ahead of a huge Game 6 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.
Down 3-2, Washington faces elimination again after responding in Game 5 to send the series back to Pittsburgh, despite being written off before that contest.
"Seventy-five percent of people said we were going to lose (Game 5), right?" Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov asked, according to CSN's Chuck Gormley. "We have lots of balls in this locker room."
A big game from Kuznetsov - who has only one goal and one assist during the playoffs - would go a long way in forcing a Game 7 on Thursday. His only point against the Penguins - that assist - came in Washington's Game 2 loss.
"As a coach, you stay positive, show him all the good things he's doing with the puck," Barry Trotz said about his leading scorer during the regular season, according to Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski.
Trotz has to be hoping Kuznetsov puts the puck in the back of the net Tuesday.
The Capitals also have Justin Williams, who's proven rather adept at Game 7s throughout his career.
Meanwhile, the Penguins don't want to go back to Washington.
"We have to end the series here," said defenseman Olli Maatta, according to Sportnet's Chris Johnston. Maatta's expected to play but officially remains a game-time decision.
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New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic has rescinded the trade he previously requested from the team, according to multiple reports.
Although he was never moved, Hamonic's request caused quite a stir at the time, as the 25-year-old's role with the team was increasing, and he was continuing to develop into a reliable defenseman.
Hamonic said he requested the trade prior to the season, but word got out in November. The request was based on being closer to a family matter.
"The root of all this is a personal family matter of mine that I hold dear to my heart," Hamonic said at the time. "It has nothing to do with the organization or how I’ve been treated here for six years of playing and another two or three since I was drafted. I’ve honestly been treated like gold from the start."
"When (Garth and I) talked about this, it was more on a personal level than just a player-GM thing," Hamonic added."He understands what this means for me and how difficult it is. He’s really been there for me and I couldn’t thank him enough."
A Manitoba native, Hamonic was linked to the Winnipeg Jets, as well as other Canadian teams while the trade rumors swirled.
In 72 games, Hamonic registered 21 points and logged 23:49 of ice-time per game in the regular season. He has four years remaining on his current contract with an annual average value of $3.86 million.
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The St. Louis Blues signed Finnish goaltender Ville Husso to a three-year, entry-level contract Tuesday, the club announced.
Husso was drafted 94th overall in 2014. He had a solid season in the Finnish league this season, posting a .927 save percentage and five shutouts in 39 games for HIFK Helsinki. He was even better in the playoffs, with a .930 save percentage and four shutouts in 15 games.
Husso's 21, stands 6-foot-1, and weighs 182 pounds.
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Jimmy's finalizing his list.
Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey was at the Downtown Harvard Club on Monday night when he was asked about his future - specifically whether it may include the Boston Bruins.
"I think the Bruins will definitely be on my list of teams," the left winger said, according to the Boston Herald's Stephen Harris.
Vesey remains property of the Nashville Predators, who drafted him in 2012, but he's due for unrestricted free agency on Aug. 15 after not coming to terms on a deal with the club - despite the fact Nashville thought it had the Harvard stud signed.
When asked whether he'd promised the Predators he would sign, Vesey answered, "No. I think there was probably a little bit of a misunderstanding."
He said he'll make his decision on his playing future a few days after Aug. 15, when he's expected to be approached by a long list of teams.
The 22-year-old spent four seasons at Harvard and was born in North Reading, Mass., so he's certainly familiar with the Boston area. And since the money on an entry-level contract is standard, it'll be more about fit than anything.
"I'll look at what a team has in terms of (an) NHL roster, and also what it has in the prospect pool," Vesey said. "I'll also be looking at the coaches and what style of play is going to fit me the best. The city, definitely. There's a lot that's going to to go into it. I'm excited about it and I can't wait to see where I'm going to end up."
It won't be Nashville, that's for sure.
Vesey's father is a scout for the Maple Leafs, leading to speculation that rebuilding Toronto could be in the mix.
- With H/T to Pro Hockey Talk
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Nobody on the St. Louis Blues wanted to play a Game 7 versus the Dallas Stars - nobody, except maybe forward Troy Brouwer, who's become quite acclimated with do-or-die games.
Brouwer will suit up for a remarkable eighth consecutive Game 7 on Wednesday night, adding to his NHL record.
The 30-year-old was eliminated in Game 7 by the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, then proceeded to play five series-deciding contests in three playoff runs with the Washington Capitals.
Wednesday, of course, marks the second Game 7 St. Louis will play this postseason, having slayed the Blackhawks in their deciding game in the opening round.
Brouwer has a record of 3-4 in his streak of Game 7s, and has only recorded one point: the series-winning goal versus Chicago last month.
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Following a first-round elimination last year with the Nashville Predators, Matt Cullen nearly called it quits.
"After the last game in Chicago, Game 6, I remember sitting, taking a minute," Cullen told ESPN's Scott Burnside. "It was kind of an emotional day. I kind of thought that was probably it. Mike Fisher came in, and we talked for a little bit. I thought there was a real good chance that was it."
Now a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Cullen enjoyed a renaissance regular season in which he scored 16 goals, and he's riding the same wave in the playoffs with three goals - and two game-winners - to his name.
Cullen, a member of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, said this postseason run is different.
"I don't know if I've ever had more fun playing the game," Cullen said. "I'm appreciating the opportunity a lot more. And it's just all about making another run trying to win another Cup. You know when you're younger you're always worried about a million different things. For me it's brought me a lot more clarity at this point in my career."
The 39-year-old signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Penguins in the offseason to provide a stabilizing presence in the dressing room and ideally contribute some scoring.
He's done just that.
"When the stakes are high, he is about as even-keeled player as you can find," general manager Jim Rutherford said.
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