With Top Pick, Islanders Choose Goal Scorer In Tavares

Whether it was relief or pure joy, 10,000 Islanders fans who had gathered at Nassau Coliseum on Friday night erupted in a prolonged roar when they saw General Manager Garth Snow announce that the team had selected John Tavares, the Ontario Hockey League’s career-leading goal scorer, as the No. 1 overall pick in the N.H.L. draft.

Confetti rained down from the giant scoreboard that was tuned to the live proceedings in Montreal as the Coliseum rocked to chants of “Let’s go Islanders.”

Tavares, who scored a record 215 goals in 247 career O.H.L. games and led Canada to back-to-back world junior championships, told the Canadian network TSN: “Now I have a great opportunity to go to a rebuilding franchise in New York. Hopefully, we’ll bring the tradition back. I’m definitely relieved now and excited to get started.”


The Islanders also held the 26th pick in the first round, but traded selections to move to No. 12. They chose Calvin de Haan, an offensive defenseman who was Tavares’s teammate with Oshawa until Tavares was traded to London in January. De Haan’s production with Oshawa fell off after Tavares left the team.

The Rangers used the No. 19 pick to select center Chris Kreider of Phillips Andover Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts. Kreider, who is 6-2, 200 pounds, was the highest-rated American high school player in the draft.

The Devils traded to move up to No. 20 and chose Jacob Josefson, a third-line center with Djurgarden of the Swedish Elitserien.

Tim Erixon, the son of the former Ranger Jan Erixon, was taken at No. 23 by Calgary. Marcus Johansson was taken 24th by Washington, bringing the number of Swedes drafted in the first round to a record seven.


Victor Hedman, only 18 but with two sparkling years under his belt in the Elitserien, was picked No. 2 by Tampa Bay, a club whose two owners have had a public falling out.

Matt Duchene, an O.H.L. forward seen as a leader and scorer in the Joe Sakic mold, went No. 3 to Colorado. There, he will play alongside Sakic, who will be playing his 21st and possibly final season.

“He already knows a lot of things that are hard to teach,” Trottier said. “Stick handling, playmaking, seeing the ice, how to get open, how to draw players toward you.”

Chris Dey, the Islanders president, reported that in the hour after Tavares was chosen, Isles fans had bought $79,000 worth of season tickets.

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Teemu Selanne will play For Ducks Next season

While teams stockpiled prospects in the last six rounds of the NHL entry draft, the Kings traded former first-round pick Brian Boyle and the Ducks got a boost when winger Teemu Selanne told them he will fulfill the final season of his contract.



Selanne, who will turn 39 next week, had hesitated to commit until he saw whether General Manager Bob Murray would gut the team or go for another Stanley Cup.

Fedorov Leaves Caps For Russian Team

Sergei Fedorov, the NHL's all-time leader in goals by a Russian-born player and a key veteran leader for the Washington Capitals, has decided to return home.

A team spokesman said Fedorov's agent, Pat Brisson, notified the Capitals that his client has joined a team in the Kontinental Hockey League. According to several published reports in Russia, Fedorov signed a two-year contract with Magnitogorsk.



Once one of the game's premier players during his time in Detroit, the 39-year-old Fedorov was acquired at the trade deadline during the 2007-08 season and was rejuvenated in Washington after spending time with Anaheim and Columbus.

This past season Fedorov had 11 goals and 33 points in 52 games for the Caps. He missed a lot of time with a frustrating ankle injury, but scored one of the most important goals in recent team history when he potted the game-winner in Game 7 of the first-round series against the New York Rangers.

The deal with Magnitogorsk reportedly is worth $3.8 million per season, which is far more than the Caps could afford to pay given their pending cap constraints. Fedorov will also have the chance to play with his younger brother, Fedor.

Washington is now short two top-six forwards with both Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov signing KHL contracts for next season.

NHL Entry Draft 2009-Preview

The NHL will hold its annual Entry Draft this weekend at the Bell Centre in Montreal, and the New York Islanders, owners of this year's No. 1 overall pick, will get the event started Friday evening.

The Islanders had the NHL's worst record during the 2008-09 season and were rewarded with the top prize at the draft lottery back in April. New York has the No. 1 overall selection for the fourth time in team history, and for the first time since taking goaltender Rick DiPietro in 2000.

Tampa Bay had the No. 1 overall pick a year ago and are picking second in this year's draft.

Last year, Steven Stamkos was a no-brainer as the No. 1 overall pick for the Lightning, but the Islanders have a tougher decision to make this time around. However, it appears as if it is down to a two-skater race for the Islanders between center John Tavares and defenseman Victor Hedman.

Tavares has been a household name in Canada for years and was always expected to be a No. 1 overall pick. However, Hedman - the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Swede - has emerged as a challenger for the top spot over the course of the year.

While it's difficult to say who will go first, it's nearly a lock that Tavares and Hedman will be the first two players selected in the 2009 draft. The Isles have the tough task, but the Lightning, who have the second pick, can merely sit back and take whoever is left out of Hedman and Tavares.

Tavares has developed quite a following north of the border thanks to his prolific scoring knack as a junior. His big breakthrough came during the 2006-07 season, when he potted 72 goals for Oshawa and broke Wayne Gretzky's OHL record for goals by a 16-year-old.

Over four seasons in the OHL with Oshawa and London, Tavares averaged nearly 54 goals per year. Tavares also dominated the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa, as he was named tournament MVP in leading Team Canada to a fifth straight gold medal at the event.

Unlike Tavares, Hedman was not being touted years in advance as a candidate for the top pick in the 2009 draft. The mammoth blueliner did, however, begin playing in the Elitserien, Sweden's top professional hockey league, as a 16- year-old. Slowly but surely, scouts realized that a player with Hedman's combination of size and skill could actually be even more valuable than a scoring prodigy like Tavares.

After Hedman and Tavares, the next-best players available are mostly forwards. Canadian centerman Matt Duchene and Swedish winger Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson are the best of this group, and both could be top-five picks.

Once again there isn't a goaltender eligible for this year's draft that could be considered a can't-miss prospect. In fact, it would be surprising if any netminder is taken before the latter stages of the first round this year.

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Hockey: Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup Election

Three members of the Detroit Red Wings' 2002 Stanley Cup championship team were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday. Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille will be inducted alongside former New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch and New Jersey Devils president Lou Lamoriello on Nov. 9 in Toronto.

All four players were eligible for the first time. Election requires votes from at least 14 of the Hall's 18-member selection committee.

Yzerman ranks sixth all-time in points in the NHL with 1,755. Hull, with 741 goals, trails only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe. Leetch twice won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman. Robitaille's 668 goals and 1,394 points are the most by a left wing.

Lamoriello has served as the Devils' president since 1987 and has taken over twice as the coach. New Jersey has won the Stanley Cup three times under his leadership.

Calgary General Manager Darryl Sutter hired his brother Brent as coach, pushing the number of Sutters in the Flames organization to five. Brother Duane is director of player personnel, brother Ron is a scout and Darryl's son Brett played for the farm team last season.

Defenseman Chris Chelios said he will answer questions today after the Red Wings confirmed he will not be offered a contract to stay. Chelios, 47, has said he wants to play next season.

Avs Ink McLeod To Three-Year Contract

The Colorado Avalanche signed forward Cody McLeod to a three-year contract on Monday.

McLeod had 15 goals and five assists in what was his first full season in the Betting NHL online last year. The 24-year-old native of Binscarth, Manitoba, garnered 162 penalty minutes during the 2008-09 season in 79 games, becoming only the second player in franchise history to collect at least 15 goals and 150 PIM in a single season.

He also led the Avs in hits with 194 and shared the team-lead with three game- winning goals.

"Cody has been an important member of our team over the last two seasons," said Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman. "He plays a physical game and can also contribute offensively. He is entering the prime years of his career and we look forward to having him remain in an Avalanche sweater." McLeod originally joined the club as an undrafted free agent in July 2006 and made his NHL debut during the 2007-08 season when he posted four goals, five assists and 120 PIM in 49 games.

Hockey: Germany beat Netherlands to lift Junior Hockey World Cup

Germany lifted the Junior Hockey World Cup for the fifth time after a 3-1 win over Netherlands in the final played at Johor Baru Hockey stadium on Sunday evening.

Germany won the titles consecutively in 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1993.

For the Dutch, it was yet another sad end to the grand finale, having lost to the Germans in the 1985 final in Vancouver by a 1-4 score line.



The team in Oranje drew first blood with a perfect penalty corner conversion from their hit-man, and the tournament's top scorer, Mink Van Der Weerden, in the 21th minute.

Marco Miltkau equalised for the Germans in the 24th minute.

In the second half, 17-year-old Florian Fuchs put Germany ahead in the 56th minute, capitalising on a rare error by the Dutch goalkeeper Pimin Blaak.

Jan Fleckhaus' scored Germany's third and final goal in the 61st minute.

Uli Forstner, coach of the Germany team, said: "This is a dream come true. I'm not only happy with the victory but with also the way we played. In the second half, we won all our one-on-one challenges. This was the best performance our team ever had."

Germany's captain Martin Haner said: "Our team spirit was fantastic, we ran for each other for the whole 70 minutes, and this victory shows that Germany's hockey is the best in the whole tournament."

Australia, after the heartbreak of their semi-final defeat to Germany, came bouncing back to beat New Zealand 4-1 to take third spot.

Hockey-Datsyuk Most Gentlemanly For 4th Year

Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk has been picked as hockey's most gentlemanly player for the fourth straight year.

The award was his second of the night, after winning the Selke — given to the top defensive forward — earlier Thursday.

Datsyuk, who was assessed only 22 penalty minutes in 81 games, finished well ahead in voting over fellow Lady Byng finalists Martin St. Louis of Tampa Bay and New Jersey's Zach Parise. Datsyuk received 64 first-place votes.

He finished they season fourth in the NHLHockey Betting with 97 points and was second with 89 takeaways.

Four-Month Deadline For Hockey Units

The recognition from the International Hockey Bet Federation (FIH) has strengthened Hockey India's arms enough for it to not merely set a deadline for state associations to merge with it but to implement its directive with authority.

The merger process is already on, according to Hockey India, with around 24 units ready to join its fold.

"How can the state associations continue to enjoy recognition if they haven't joined us?" asked Hockey India secretary Mohd Aslam Khan.

In a parallel move, the IOA has sent an advisory to the state Olympic associations to work towards giving official recognition to a "single hockey association which will look after the game's activities... before setting the merger process with Hockey India in motion." The time frame is 120 days, according to Aslam, after which state hockey associations unyielding in their stand will find themselves in the wilderness.

Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Champs

There won’t be repeat Stanley Cup champions as the Pittsburgh Penguins won Game 7 by a final score of 2-1 to take their first title since the early-90’s.

Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP.

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2009 NHL Stanley Cup Betting Summary

Few gave the underdog Pittsburgh Penguins much of chance to dethrone the Detroit Red Wings in the first Stanley Cup final rematch in 25 years. Even fewer thought they could dig out of a 2-0 hole and beat the defending champions four times in five games.

Add the loss of Sidney Crosby in the second period of Game 7, and the situation became even more dire.

But the scrappy Pens won Game 7, 2-1 as +170 underdogs, and finished the comeback by becoming the first club to take the Cup with a Game 7 road victory since Montreal in 1971.

This instant classic series featured two one-goal games, four two-goal games, and one Red Wings 5-0 blowout in Game 5 that seemed likely to propel them to a repeat.

Pittsburgh finished the postseason as the fourth best money team, cashing in 14 times, while the Red Wings were the third best for bettors.

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Conn Smythe Betting Update

While all the Conn Smythe trophy talk (playoff MVP) prior to the start of the Stanley Cup finals centered around Detroit Red Wing netminder Chris Osgood, the odds have changed somewhat.

Osgood has struggled in a few games and that has allowed other players to enter the fray.

Osgood was still a favorite at -200 to take the Conn Smythe yesterday and teammate Henrik Zetterberg saw his odds steepen to -150.

After Game 6, Ozzie is still -200 but Zetterberg is back up to +150.

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Seventh Hell For The Pens?

The Pittsburgh Penguins forced a seventh and deciding game in the Stanley Cup final by virtue of a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings last night–the Pens cashed in at -130 and the Total went Under 5.5.

History is not on the Penguins’ side as the last time a road team won a championship Game 7 in the MLB, NBA or NHL Hockey betting was back in 1979 when the Pittsburgh Pirates, ironically enough, won the World Series in Baltimore.

Home teams have gone 18-0 in championship Game 7s.

Pittsburgh is +160 and Detroit is -180, the Total is set at 5.5.

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Falling Star: Tippett out as coach in Dallas

Tippett spent six years guiding the Stars after being named the 19th coach in franchise history in May of 2002. He led the club to two Pacific Division titles and five consecutive playoff appearances including a trip to the Western Conference Finals just last season before losing to Detroit in six games.

The team had been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs each of the three years preceding the team's run to West finals but Tippett was rewarded with a contract extension through the 2010-11 season. The club then tripped to a 36-35-11 mark this past year, good for 12th in the West.

The franchise is looking to recover from several missteps taken last season.

He recorded 93 goals and 169 assists for 262 points in 721 NHL games.

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Hockey Bet-Home Is Where the Heart Is

It’s been a “homer series” this Stanley Cup final with both the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins failing to win on the road.

If the Wings do manage to win in Pittsburgh, they will be Stanley Cup Champs but are only 4-5 SU and 6-2-1 on the Over/Under on the road this postseason.

The Pens on the other hand are 8-2 SU at home.

The Wings are +105, the Pens are -125 and the Total is set at 5.5 for tonight’s game.

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Hockey Wins Saturday Night Ratings

NBC’s broadcast of Betting Hockey online Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final was the top rated-show on television last Saturday night.



The telecast from Detroit of the Red Wings’ 5-0 victory over the Penguins was watched by an average of 4.28 million people, according to Nielsen overnight figures. That figure is down slightly from NBC’s Game 1 telecast, also on a Saturday night, but the small dropoff for the 5-0 game is considered insignificant given the one-sidedness of the score by the midway point of the second period.

Red Wings Rolling In Motor City

It’s a new series in the Stanley Cup final as the Pittsburgh Penguins paid out at -135 in a 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings last night.

The scene switches back to Detroit for Game 5 and Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood, who has been suspect the past two games, is solid at the Joe Louis Arena.



Osgood is 10-1 SU at home these playoffs and 3-8 on the Over/Under.

Game 5 goes Saturday and Detroit is favored at -150 and the Total is set at 5.5.

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NHL Stanley Cup Finals: Game 4 Odds at Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Penguins trail the defending champion Detroit Red Wings 2-1 going into Game 4 tonight.

The Pens are not acting at all like they did when they were down a game in this same situation last year, against the same opponent. And it's certainly not because Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk, who is capable of winning a game at both ends of the ice, expects to play after sitting out six games with a foot injury.

Evgeni Malkin's upgraded play is one of the reasons the Penguins are optimistic they can pull off a comeback after losing the first two games on the road, despite the fact only one of 32 teams has previously overcome such a deficit in the finals.

Malkin has 33 points, the most in the NHL playoffs since Joe Sakic had 34 for Colorado in 1996.

NHL Stanley Cup Final Update

The Detroit Red Wings managed to win both games of the championship series despite missing key players from their lineup and getting outchanced by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A second victory in as many nights (3-1 score in both) greatly increased the odds that the Wings will soon have their names again inscribed on the NHL'S championship trophy.

Teams winning the first two games of the Stanley Cup final on home ice have gone on to take the series 31 of 32 times.

Will Pens Show Nerves Of Steel?

The scene shifts from Motown to Steel Town in the Stanley Cup final and the Pittsburgh Penguins could use the home ice advantage, down 2-0 to the Detroit Red Wings.

Pittsburgh is listed at -150 and 16-4 in its last 20 games at the Mellon Arena.

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No Suspension For Pens’ Malkin

According to the NHL’s rulebook, he who instigates a fight in the final five minutes of a hockey game shall be banished for the following game.

With his Pittsburgh Penguins assured a second-straight loss in the Stanley Cup final, Evgeni Malkin decided to take his frustrations out on the Detroit Red Wings’ Henrik Zetterberg.

The league can intervene, depending on the situation, and that is exactly what is going to happen.

According to NHL “police chief” Colin Campbell, the rule is intended to prevent a team from sending a goon onto the ice in the dying moments of a game to “send a message” and seeing as Malkin is hardly a goon, the suspension is rescinded.

Malkin is listed at +450 to win the Conn Smythe trophy.

NHL Playoff Odds: Pittsburgh at Detroit

The Penguins appear to have everything going for them. They have momentum from a conference final sweep, two of the league’s best players in high gear, and the kind of fan support that most franchises wish they had.

There’s only one thing missing, which is a Stanley Cup, at least one more recent than those won by the Penguins of 1991 and 1992.

The Pens appear to own several advantages over the Red Wings. Pittsburgh is relatively healthy, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are rolling with a league-leading 28 points apiece, and Marc-Andre Fleury is leading by example in net.

The Red Wings were missing stars Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk for part of the series against Chicago and they are hoping both will return for Game 1 on Saturday.