Avalanche WIN! Yes! Can I just say how thrilled I am for Erik Johnson and Jay McClement? During the game they had a graphic on the Jumbotron thanking both these players for their time in St-Louis. I thought it was a classy move on the Blues' part.
An interesting little article about players that may not want to make the move to Winnipeg.
"Guess what name is appearing on a lot of players' no-move teams? Atlanta," Healy said. "Why? Because if the team goes to Winnipeg, it's not a desirable place for them to play their winters."
This should come as no surprise. Edmonton has been dealing with a similar stigma, which only harkened to Noel's original point.
Something you may have missed at the start of the game
Johnson and McClement were among the starting six for the Avalanche and received a nice reception from the fans. Stewart and Shattenkirk also were on the ice for the opening faceoff.
A look at trades in the past that were because a player needed "a change of scenery"
In looking back on the long list of scenery-related trades the past few seasons and their chances of success, a few trends become abundantly clear: the players must receive more ice time to be successful, they must fit the team's style of play, and they must be comfortable in the market.
An incredibly nice article about Greg Mauldin. Seriously, I loved it.
"You know that movie ‘Wanted,’ where the guy sees everything in slow motion?" he says, trying to explain what happened after the flashbulb. "Everything just slowed down. It felt like it took place over the course of like 30 seconds, but in reality it was less than a second, just bang-bang."
The puck was retrieved from the back of the net and put in Mauldin’s locker for safe keeping. When the team broke for Christmas, he brought it home to Holliston, where his mother, Joanne, keeps it on a plaque.
An article/ recap that has a bunch of Erik Johnson quotes. I'm liking this guy more and more.
"Doug Armstrong said it speaks volumes of what kind of player you are around the league, how you're valued and how you're viewed," Johnson said. "It's nice to know that Colorado wanted me and inquired about me for the last two or three weeks to a month."
Keeping to the revenge theme against the Blues, Johnson said before the game, "I want to beat them more than I want to beat anybody else."