Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Thread

I can imagine they're clicking their heels at NHL Headquarters over this matchup, because even though nationwide it may not be that big a deal, this should draw boffo ratings in New York, the country's largest media market.

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Next Game

New Jersey Devils
@ New York Rangers

Monday, May 14, 2012, 7:00 PM Central (NBC Sports)
Madison Square Garden

Complete Coverage >

How They Were Built: Looking at the Conference Semi-finalists Playoff Rosters - In Lou We Trust
Take a look at a breakdown of the Final Four, and where their players came from.

2012 NHL Playoffs: A Look Ahead To Tonight's Game - Blueshirt Banter
There's a whole lotta hate going into this one...

Dale Hunter steps down as Washington Capitals head coach: Monday's nooner

One change I'm considering for the posting schedule here at OTF is to go with an abbreviated "nooner" post of hockey stories to help you get through your lunch hour.

So without further ado, this edition kicks off with more movement on the NHL head coaching market. This morning, we heard that Columbus took the "interim" tag off Todd Richards, and now, the Washington Capitals will be out looking for help.

Follow @Forechecker

Nashville Predators News

The Inaugural Central Division Tweetup – July 28th in Columbus, OH | The Predatorial

I thought the whole point of Twitter was that we didn't have to go to places like Columbus.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Dale Hunter won’t return as Capitals coach, heads back to OHL London | Puck Daddy
Hunter is probably kicking himself for leaving London and missing the opportunity to coach OHL Player of the Week Austin Watson.

Hockey culture, character, and winning: how we choose what we value - Raw Charge
Is winning the only thing, or even the most important thing?

An Open Letter To Professional Sports Teams' Marketing Departments - SBNation.com

This is one thing the Predators have nailed.

Everything Old is New Again: Bringing Back the Two-Minute Minor | Backhand Shelf
Here's one suggestion on how to boost scoring, but I don't think I'm down with it.

NHL playoffs: lessons the Avalanche can learn from teams still in | All Things Avalanch — The Denver Post
Adrian Dater piggybacks on the narrative surrounding the remaining teams to recommend a path for Colorado.

May coupon codes offer big savings for hockey players & NHL fans | Hockey Gear HQ
For the savvy shopper, there are promo codes out there for hockey equipment, NHL apparel, accessories, and memorabilia of all kinds this month.

John Tortorella press conference DJ remix is the soundtrack to your playoffs | Puck Daddy
This is amazing... simply amazing:

Sergei Kostitsyn would like to stay: Tuesday's notes

Our morning hockey notes begin with word from one of Nashville's most important restricted free agents, Sergei Kostitsyn, on how he'd like to stay with the Predators for the long haul. While I doubt there's much question that the team would like him back (unlike his big brother Andrei), the question is, what role do you see SK74 playing on this team going forward?

Whether you're a hockey player or fan, the Hockey Gear HQ email newsletter brings you money-saving deals.

Nashville Predators News

Inside Smashville " Sergei Kostitsyn looks for multi-year deal with Predators
I'm OK with this, as long as they don't tie up too much money. He's just not top-line material, and has done next to nothing in two playoff runs here.

The View from 111: An Open Letter to Ryan Suter
Mark pens a longer, more detailed version of this.

Hockey Night in Nashville: Smith now knows what to expect at NHL level
I think we're all eager to see what Craig Smith will do next season.

In Memoriam: The 2011-2012 Season of the Nashville Predators | The Predatorial
Jeremy ponders the opportunity lost, and whether a hint of arrogance undermined the Preds.

Paul McCann - The Class of 2012 - Thoughts on Graduation
Paul plays some "Pomp & Circumstance" for potentially departing Preds.

Better equipped, better prepared Preds do no better | Nashville City Paper
Have expectations been raised? And if so, what constitutes a disappointing season?

Boclair: Owners, schmowners | Nashville City Paper
David Boclair wonders why Tom Cigarran didn't just jump on the ice and score a few goals against Phoenix.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

2012 NHL Playoffs: Rangers Erupt In The Third Period To Take Game 1 - Blueshirt Banter
New York jumps out to the 1-0 series lead...

Why Is Marek Zidlicky a Success With the Devils? - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
The Devils embracing a blueliner with defensive liabilities, but who can create scoring chances? The world has gone mad.

IIHF World Championships: Preliminary Round Closes Tuesday - Puck Worlds
Here's what's on tap at the Worlds today.

Los Angeles Kings? Sacramento Kings? Ah, What's The Difference ... - SBNation.com
Well, that's embarrassing.

Unrestricted Free Agents: The Northeast Division - Canes Country
Does anybody here catch your eye?

Todd Richards - More Than Mr. Right Now - The Cannon
Matt wonders if this head coaching thing's going to work out.

Coaching candidates that could merit consideration - NHL.com
No mention of Nashville here.

On Spec: Bad refs, Pronger and expansion - sportsnet.ca
You used to hear talk about NHL expansion into Europe, but forget about it.

Mike Fisher meets Oprah

Mike Fisher has gone toe-to-toe with some stiff competition lately - Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg... and now, Oprah Winfrey. The Nashville Predators' center and his uber-famous wife Carrie Underwood are the subjects of an upcoming episode of "Oprah's Next Chapter", airing Sunday May 20th.

Can the iconic TV host get him to open up better than Marc Howard doing an in-game bench interview? The topic for discussion here is this - what questions do you want to see Oprah ask Fish?

• "Tell me about the penalty box inside your heart."
• "When did you realize that you had indeed become a human predator?"
• "What does Harry say about you?"

Anyways, here's a sneak peek at the upcoming episode:

First Look: Oprah Interviews Carrie Underwood and Her Husband, Mike Fisher

Report: Sergei Kostitsyn injures shoulder at World Championships: Tuesday's nooner

Hey, remember that Sergei Kostitsyn guy we were just talking about this morning? Well, there's good news and bad news from the IIHF World Championships...

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Nashville Predators News

Canada wins, finishes first - IIHF.com
Good news, Sergei Kostitsyn got the lone goal for Belarus as Canada beat them 5-1! Bad news, SK74 separated his shoulder.

Paul McCann - Nashville TV Ratings and Random Notes
Paul trumpets increased TV ratings, but remember, these percentage jumps are off a very small base. Still, good news.

Smashville 24/7 - Top 5 storylines of Predators’ 2011-12 season
Ryan picks the stories that will stick with him.

An In-Depth 2012 Memorial Cup Preview | The Hockey Writers
The Preds have two prospects in the mix here, Austin Watson for the London Knights and Charles-Olivier Roussel for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Alex Semin denies he’s done with Capitals; Ovechkin talks ice time in Washington | Puck Daddy
It seems like those "where will Alex Semin go" articles have been going on for years, don't they?

Party on, Kaner: Patrick Kane’s public inebriation leads to consternation in sports media | Puck Daddy
What makes Patrick Kane so different from a zillion other young 20-somethings? For one, I'd say he doesn't seem to handle his booze particularly well.

New York and Los Angeles Are Not the Key to Record NHL Ratings, Even if Everyone Keeps Telling You It Is " Puck The Media
Steve plays down the hype about a Kings/Rangers final, but it's still by far the most lucrative option for the league.

On Peter Laviolette's System and the Call For Change - Broad Street Hockey
It's very difficult to parse out the details of a coach's system from an outside perspective.

Phoneix Coyotes G.M. Don Maloney Traded His Way To A Contender | Edmonton Journal
Under rather unique circumstances, Maloney has wheeled & dealed his way to remarkable results.

The NHL's real problem are its defensemen - Raw Charge
Greg Zanon... Public Enemy #1.

Down Goes Brown: Hidden playoff injuries revealed
Hey now... "Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators – His teammates say he was obviously dealing with some sort of major injury that will require him to meet with a specialist in Detroit, since he spent the past few months constantly whispering into his cellphone about some sort of appointment there at 12:01 on July 1."

National Hockey League job opening: Manager, Media Strategy | Hockey Gear HQ
The National Hockey League has a job posting for a Manager of Media Strategy. This is your chance to get involved with perhaps the most dynamic part of the NHL's business.

Report: KHL to exempt returning NHL players from salary cap - big payday for Radulov?

Slava Malamud of Sport-Express brings news this afternoon which raises the likelihood that regardless of how much the Nashville Predators might want to sign Alexander Radulov to a new contract, they'll face major competition from the KHL, due to a new wrinkle in their salary cap rules announced today.

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Alexander Radulov

#47 / Right Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Jul 05, 1986

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	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG		SOG	PCT
2011 - Alexander Radulov	9	3	4	7	+3	4	0	0	0		21	14.3

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Here are the tweets from Malamud which came across today:

And here goes KHL, doing its thing again. The league announces that all returning Russian NHLers will not count against the salary cap.

— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) May 13, 2012

Now, each KHL team will be limited to one such signing. Still, this should enable the rich clubs to back up the cash truck to Radulov, Semin

— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) May 13, 2012

1 more caveat on the KHL news. The player would have to be approved by national team coaches as "worthy" to be excluded from salary cap.

— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) May 13, 2012

And make no mistake, there are a few clubs (SKA St. Petersburg, for example, which is led by KHL President Alexander Medvedev) with the resources to compete with a high-end NHL offer. Will Radulov choose the highest bidder, take the opportunity to play with the KHL team of his choice, or commit to the NHL and test himself for a full season in the world's best hockey league?

No matter how this works out, have we seen a player in recent years who has had league rules & customs ignored, changed, or set aside due to his personal circumstances so often?

Western Conference Finals Game 1 Thread

Sure, the Preds are out, but there's some great hockey we should be treated to over the next month.

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Next Game

Los Angeles Kings
@ Phoenix Coyotes

Sunday, May 13, 2012, 7:00 PM Central (NBC Sports)
Jobing.com Arena

Complete Coverage >

WCF: Phoenix Coyotes vs. Los Angeles Kings: The Regular Season Review - Five For Howling
As Pacific Division rivals, these two teams should be intimately familiar with one another.

Kings v Coyotes WCF Preview (Part 1 -- Deployment) - Jewels From The Crown
How did these matchups change after the coaching change in L.A.?

Kings v Coyotes WCF Preview (Part 2 -- Possession) - Jewels From The Crown
The Kings are a very strong possession team, so can Mike Smith continue to bail out the Coyotes?