Friday, December 30, 2011

December 30, 2011, Calgary Flames-New York Islanders game story for AP

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Tavares has goal, assist to lead Isles past Flames

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP)—There have been many low points as the New York Islanders try to become a contending team again in the NHL. For all their frustration, there have been glimpses of a potentially promising future.


John Tavares scored a goal and added an assist, and Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves to lead the Islanders to a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.


Andrew MacDonald and Brian Rolston also scored for New York (12-17-6), which snapped a three-game losing streak. The Islanders had dropped four in a row at home (0-3-1) since a 5-1 victory against Tampa Bay on Dec. 6.



“We concentrated on what we needed to do,” MacDonald said. “We have to play this way night in and night out.”


Tim Jackman scored the lone goal for the Flames, and Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 31 shots, but Calgary had its four-game winning streak broken.


“Our compete level wasn’t at the level where it needs to be,” Calgary coach Brent Sutter said.


Jackman gave the Flames a 1-0 just 1:11 in by shoving a rebound of Brendan Morrison’s shot, that ricocheted off MacDonald’s skate, past Nabokov.


Kiprusoff and Nabokov, both former San Jose Sharks goalies, then hooked up in a spectacular duel. Nabokov stoned Jarome Iginla on a first period breakaway, and Kiprusoff poke-checked the puck off of Tavares’ stick when he charged in on him late in the second period.


“Nabby’s been like that all season for us,” Tavares said.


The game was unusually chippy for teams from opposing conferences. Both clubs engaged in trash talk after whistles, and emotions boiled over when Lee Stempniak shouldered New York’s Kyle Okposo late in the first period. Matt Moulson raced over to defend his teammate, and a 5-on-5 melee ensued. After the players were separated, Moulson received four minutes for roughing, and Calgary’s Chris Butler was given two minutes in penalties.


“No penalty,” was Stempniak’s assessment of the hit. “Think it was a clean hit. It’s a non-issue.”


New York killed the power play and tied the game 3:04 into the second when MacDonald’s shot from the slot beat Kiprusoff.


“P.A. (Parenteau) picked the puck out of a pile and fed it to me,” MacDonald said. “I got good wood on it.”


The Islanders grew in confidence after the skirmish and the killed power play.


“Their forwards are a good skating group. Their top end guys were good for them,” Sutter said. “Moulson, Tavares and Okposo were the best players on the ice.”


The game stayed tied until Tavares sped down the left wing boards, cut toward the net and tucked the puck past an outstretched Kiprusoff 3:20 into the third to make it 2-1.


Only Moulson has scored more goals this season for the Islanders than Tavares, and only Parenteau has more assists and points. Tavares has 12 goals and 29 points.


“J.T. was really strong,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said.


Tavares downplayed his big night.


“It’s nice to get a win. We came out hungry,” he said. “Kyle made a great play along the wall (to spring Tavares).”


Rolston added an empty-net goal with 43 seconds left.


The game marked Blake Comeau’s return to Long Island. Calgary claimed Comeau off waivers from the Islanders on Nov. 25. Comeau, who had no points in 16 games this season with New York has two goals and three assists in 17 contests with Calgary.


“It’s not all about me. It’s disappointing not get two points (when) we’re in a playoff race,” said Comeau, who had gone out to dinner with some former Islanders teammates. “I wish nothing but the best for them.”


New York, which outshot the Flames 33-30, was 0 for 1 on the power play. Calgary went 0 for 2.


NOTES: This was the only meeting this season between the teams, who have faced off against each other only six times since the 2004-05 lockout. The Islanders are 5-1 in those meetings, including 3-0 at home. … The Flames are in the midst of a seven-game road trip as Calgary hosts the world junior hockey championship. … The announced attendance was 14,819. … The Islanders got back to .500 in their history, improving to 1,325-1,325-347-80.


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posted by Denis P. Gorman at 12:33 PM

Thursday, December 29, 2011

December 29, 2011, Buffalo Sabres-New Jersey Devils NHL regular season game story for AP

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Sykora’s 2 goals lead Devils over Sabres 3-1

Dec 28, 10:56 pm EST

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—Petr Sykora gave the New Jersey Devils a glimpse into the past, back to the days when he was one of the team’s prime scoring threats.


Sykora, in his second stint with the Devils, scored two goals—both set up by Patrik Elias—and Martin Brodeur made 22 saves and assisted on Sykora’s first goal to lead the New Jersey Devils to a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.


“He played well,” Brodeur said of Sykora, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2000 and 2003. “We brought him in to make a difference offensively. That was what the team was looking for.”



Zach Parise also scored for the Devils, but he could see it was Sykora who had the hot stick.


“He should have had five,” Parise said. “It was one of those nights where the puck was following him all over.”


New Jersey, which built a 3-0 lead in the second period, has won seven of 10.


Thomas Vanek scored for Buffalo, which received 20 saves from Ryan Miller. The Sabres (17-16-3) have dropped seven of 10.


“We definitely have had a frustrating start to the season,” Miller said.


Sykora opened the scoring with his ninth of the season 9:52 in. Brodeur sprung Sykora and Elias with a clearing pass up the middle. The veteran forwards weaved through the neutral zone before Elias dropped a pass between his legs for Sykora, who sent a soft shot that rolled in under Miller’s pads.


“(I) looked for him to shoot through (defenseman) Robyn (Regehr),” Miller said. “He shot around him.”


Sykora snapped a wrist shot over Miller’s glove 1:26 into the second period to double the Devils’ lead. Dainius Zubrus forced a turnover, and Elias set up Sykora for a one-timer with a perfect pass.


New Jersey signed Sykora to a one-year, $650,000 contract after he made the team following a training camp tryout. His 10 goals are tied with linemate Zubrus and rookie Adam Henrique for fourth most on the team.


“I’m getting a chance to play with great players—Patty and Zubie most games. Each guy brings something different,” Sykora said. “Once in a while you’re going to have a game like this.”


Luke Adam appeared to cut the Sabres’ deficit to 2-1 with a deflection at 5:28 of the second but the goal was disallowed after a video review showed that Adam struck the puck while his stick was above the crossbar.


The determining factor is where the puck makes contact with the stick.


“Thought it was good,” Adam said. “Thought it was on its way down. It was a bit of a bad angle.”


Parise made it 3-0 at 6:55 when he tipped in Mark Fayne’s point shot. Vanek scored Buffalo’s lone goal 1:14 later.


The bad blood between the teams grew as the game progressed, and tempers flared during a 5-on-5 fracas midway through the second period.


Buffalo’s Paul Gaustad and Patrick Kaleta, New Jersey’s Cam Janssen and Bryce Salvador were given 10-minute misconducts. Devils forward Eric Boulton received minor penalties for boarding and roughing, and Sabres center Cody McCormick was given a penalty for roughing.


“(Gaustad and Kaleta) did the right thing,” Miller said. “Not sure it was (a fair) trade-off.”


The Sabres and New Jersey both had 23 shots on goal and neither connected on the power play. The Devils were 0 for 3 with the advantage, and the Sabres went 0 for 2.


“We just didn’t finish,” Vanek said.


NOTES: The Devils are 47-40-16 against the Sabres. New Jersey won the first meeting of the season, 5-3 on Nov. 16. The teams will meet twice more, once in New Jersey and once in Buffalo. … Brodeur improved to 32-16-7 against the Sabres. … Vanek’s goal was his ninth point in six games. He also has six points in his last five games against New Jersey. … Buffalo hadn’t lost in New Jersey since a 2-1 defeat on April 11, 2010.


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posted by Denis P. Gorman at 4:48 PM

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

December 27, 2011, examination of the Tampa Bay Lightning for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Falling fast: how the Lightning slipped Print
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Written by Denis Gorman
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 20:19


The Tampa Bay Lightning were one game away from playing for the Stanley Cup. Over the summer, they stood pat and in the first half of the regular season, they are finding that many of their opponents are passing them by.


Denis Gorman
It took Guy Boucher a mere 64 words to compare his team’s macro failings to its micro success on the night of December 8.


“It’s been since the beginning of the year: Heartache after heartache. We’re being kicked, hacked and jinxed and everything you can imagine since the beginning,” Boucher said after the Tampa Bay Lightning topped the New York Rangers, 3-2, in a shootout at Madison Square Garden.


“It’s got to come back but it only comes back with perseverance, and we always tell the players winning is not a habit. It is habits. The most important habit is perseverance and that’s what the players did today.”


A smart-money choice to win the Cup before the season, the Lightning enter Wednesday’s game in San Jose 13th in the Eastern Conference and 26th out of the NHL’s 30 teams, ahead of only the Islanders, Hurricanes, Ducks and Blue Jackets. The Lightning, 14-16-2 overall, have lost 11 of their last 20 games.


How has it gone so wrong, so fast?


“We’re a fragile team right now,” was Martin St. Louis’ assessment after a 5-1 embarrassment on Long Island on December 6.


The Lightning actually led 1-0 before the Islanders exploded for five goals over 43:26 spanning the three periods.


Tampa’s mental frailty became physical the morning of December 8 when St. Louis, who does not wear a visor, was struck by an errant shot off the stick of teammate Dominic Moore close to the end of the Lightning’s early skate.


When word began to spread about what had happened to St. Louis, there was a concern that the right wing would be out for an extended period of time. Before that night’s match against the Rangers, the Lightning released a statement regarding St. Louis’ condition. The 100-word statement did not alleviate the concerns; instead, it reinforced what was suspected: “... St. Louis will not play tonight’s game at the New York Rangers and he is out indefinitely after suffering facial and nasal fractures at the team’s morning skate today at Madison Square Garden."


St. Louis ranked third on the Lightning with nine goals and 13 assists. His 22 points were second on the team at the time of the injury. Thirteen days later, St. Louis is still third on the team in goals and assists and is tied for second with Vinny Lecavalier and Marc-Andre Bergeron in points.

As in life, in sports, if an organization stands pat, they tend to be passed by opponents. That is what has happened with the Lightning.


Tampa finished one point behind Southeast Division champion Washington last year. As the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed, the Lightning reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last spring before losing a 1-0 classic to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.


Instead of bolstering a team that has snipers St. Louis and Steven Stamkos, a veteran center in Lecavalier, an improving defenseman named Victor Hedman along with an experienced blueliner in Eric Brewer, the Lightning added to their periphery, bringing in right wing Ryan Shannon, center Tom Pyatt and defenseman Matt Gilroy.


Then there is the tale of defenseman Evan Oberg.


Obtained in a four-player deal with Florida on December 2, Oberg has been called up from AHL Norfolk four times in a 17-day span, the latest promotion coming Monday. Despite the call-ups, Oberg has not played in a NHL game this season.


He has three assists and is plus-5 in six games with the Norfolk Admirals (the Lightning’s AHL affiliate). Before the trade, Oberg had two assists and 14 penalty minutes in 12 games with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, and was minus-2.


In sports (as in life), whn an organization stands pat it tends to get passed up by opponents. That is what has happened with the Lightning.


The goaltending tandem of Dwayne Roloson and Mathieu Garon has a goals against average of 3.28, 28th in the NHL. The back end is a collection of fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth defensemen after Hedman, Brewer, Pavel Kubina and Marc-Andre Bergeron – a quartet that would be no higher than second-pair on strong teams. The forward corps is mostly third and fourth-liners outside of St. Louis, Stamkos, Lecavalier and Ryan Malone.


For all of the Lightning’s flaws, they are five points out of the eighth slot in the East with 50 games remaining and have $2.74 million in cap space. The Lightning have won two in a row, have five games remaining this month, and play in a fairly weak Southeast Division. So it would be incredibly foolish to eliminate Tampa from playoff discussions.


But it is imperative that fragile Tampa rediscovers and implements the macro and micro potency that defined its 2010-11 season before this campaign flashes by like a Lightning bolt.


On Twitter: @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman

Last Updated on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 04:16

http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/columns/falling-fast-how-the-lightning-slipped

posted by Denis P. Gorman at 12:24 AM

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

December 20, 2011, University of Albany vs. St. Francis College (NY) men's basketball game story for Albany Times-Union

Danes rally on the road

After blowing big lead, UAlbany comes back with key free throws

By DENIS GORMAN, Special to the Times Union

Published 11:25 p.m., Monday, December 19, 2011


NEW YORK — University at Albany head coach Will Brown had seen enough. His team went from having a 16-point lead to trailing by five in a span of 10 minutes and 20 seconds. So he called a timeout and offered his shaken team a message that was equal parts reassuring and brash.


"We weren't going to leave here without a win," Brown said after the Great Danes' 76-64 come-from-behind road victory over St. Francis College (N.Y.) Monday night at the Pope Physical Education Center.


The Great Danes moved to 6-5 overall with three nonconference games remaining before America East Conference play begins in 13 days at SEFCU Arena against Hartford. The Danes also improved to 31-40 against the Northeast Conference.


"Give them credit. They came in here and got the job done. We didn't," said St. Francis coach Glen Braica. "Give them credit, they made some plays."


The win was the Danes' fourth in four all-time meetings against the 3-7 Terriers, who were opening the home portion of their schedule after starting the season with nine consecutive road games.


"It's so hard to win on the road," coach Brown said. "Great crowd, great energy."


UAlbany's Gerardo Suero had a game-high 25 points. The junior guard/forward from the Dominican Republic also grabbed five rebounds and had four assists while St. Francis unsuccessfully attempted to find the right defense to match up against him.


"I have a couple things I can do anytime," Suero said. "(I can) go to the basket ... shoot the pull-up ... shoot the three, play defense and rebound."


Junior forward Travis Nichols led the Terriers with 23 points.


Boosted by 50 percent shooting from the field and 11-of-15 from the free-throw line, the Danes led 41-25 at the half. One sequence underscored their dominance of the Terriers: Mike Black was caught between two St. Francis defenders and the left sideline with eight seconds left on the shot clock. Somehow, he split the defenders without stepping out of bounds and converted the up-and-under layup as the shot clock expired.


The Danes benefited from a technical foul call on Terriers' junior forward/center Akeem Johnson. Johnson finished a fast break with a two-handed dunk and held onto the rim while two Danes surrounded him, and he was assessed a technical. Junior guard Logan Aronhalt made the free throw, which started a 38-21 run that spanned the remainder of the first half.


"If a kid is really (being) demonstrative and taunting the opposition ... I don't want to comment until I see the tape," said Braica.


St. Francis started the second half with a 26-5 run in the first eight minutes to take their first lead since 4-3. The run was highlighted by three Nichols three-pointers, senior guard/forward Stefan Perunicic's two 3-point baskets and a Johnson two-handed baseline jam.


"We like to think of ourselves like that," Braica said when asked if his team could be defined as gritty. "We hope to be like that."


St. Francis finished the game with 14-of-29 three-pointers, while the Danes hit just 4-of-13.


"(They) have so many guys who can shoot," Brown said.


Yet the fundamental difference between the Danes and the Terriers was, in fact, fundamentals. The Danes made 22-of-28 from the line while the Terriers went 0-for-7.


After Nichols missed a 3-pointer that would have increased St. Francis' lead, sophomore guard/forward Ralph Watts was fouled by Jalen Cannon. Watts made the two free throws to tie the game at 53 with 8:21 remaining.


The Danes made eight of their final nine free throws, including four in the final 33 seconds, to get the victory.


"Every free throw was must-make," said Watts, who finished with 10 points. He was 4-for-4 from the line. "(We) stayed in it with free throws, (especially the) four big free throws at the end."


Denis Gorman is a freelance writer.


UAlbany 76, St. Francis, N.Y. 64


UALBANY (6-5)


Player Min FG FT R A Pts


Devlin 19 3-5 0-0 1 0 6


Metcalf 9 1-1 0-0 3 0 2


Aronhalt 37 4-7 5-6 9 1 14


Black 25 3-10 5-8 1 0 11


Suero 33 9-16 7-8 5 4 25


Iati 4 0-1 0-0 0 1 0


Gibson 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0


Rowley 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0


Watts 19 2-3 4-4 2 2 10


Guerrier 27 2-5 1-2 6 2 6


Puk 18 1-4 0-0 5 0 2


Totals 200 25-52 22-28 33 10 76


ST. FRANCIS, N.Y. (3-7)


Player Min FG FT R A Pts


Nichols 36 8-17 0-1 7 0 23


Johnson 29 4-7 0-1 8 1 8


Douglas 10 1-2 0-0 3 0 3


Mockford 39 5-9 0-2 2 4 13


Newton 27 1-2 0-1 4 8 2


Jones 13 0-3 0-2 1 3 0


Perunicic 26 4-10 0-0 1 1 11


Cannon 13 2-3 0-0 4 0 4


Santavenere 3 0-2 0-0 0 0 0


Milk 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0


Totals 200 25-55 0-7 32 17 64


Halftime—UAlbany 41-25. 3-point goals—UAlbany 4-13 (Watts 2-2, Aronhalt 1-1, Guerrier 1-3, Iati 0-1, Devlin 0-2, Black 0-4), St. Francis N.Y. 14-29 (Nichols 7-11, Mockford 3-6, Perunicic 3-8, Douglas 1-2, Santavenere 0-1, Newton 0-1). Personal Fouls—UAlbany 15 (Metcalf 3, Black 4, Suero, Gibson, Rowley, Watts, Guerrier 2, Puk 2), St. Francis, N.Y. 23 (Nichols 4, Johnson, Douglas 3, Mockford 2, Newton 2, Jones, Perunicic 3, Cannon 4, Santavenere 3). Technical Fouls—Johnson. Turnovers—UAlbany 13 (Black 4, Aronhalt 2, Puk 2, Devlin, Guerrier, Suero, Metcalf, Watts), St. Francis, N.Y. 18 (Perunicic 5, Jones 3, Mockford 2, Johnson 2, Newton 2, Douglas, Cannon, Santavenere, Milk). Steals—UAlbany 6 (Iati 2, Black 2, Watts, Gibson), St. Francis, N.Y. 5 (Nichols 2, Johnson, Newton, Mockford).Blocked Shots—UAlbany 2 (Suero, Watts), St. Francis, N.Y. 1 (Johnson). A—935.


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posted by Denis P. Gorman at 11:51 AM

Friday, December 16, 2011

December 16, 2011, Dallas Stars-New York Islanders game story for AP

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Benn leads Stars past Islanders, 3-2

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP)—Jamie Benn can’t explain the correlation between his multi-point games and the Dallas Stars’ success.


He’s not wasting any time attempting to figure out the link, either.


“I don’t know. Guess it’s good luck,” Benn said after he scored the go-ahead goal 4:33 into the third period and also had an assist in the Stars’ 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.


Loui Eriksson and Brendan Morrow also scored and Richard Bachman made 25 saves to improve to 3-0 in the NHL and help the Stars run their winning streak to three games.



“We’re at a point mentally that we know if we play a certain way, (we can) win,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said.


The Pacific-Division leading Stars improved to 18-11-1 and are 7-0-1 in Benn’s eight multi-point games.


“Coast-to-coast has been a long go,” Brendan Morrow said. “We wanted to focus on the game. All of our games have been down to the wire. We know how much things can change (in the Western Conference). A bad week can send you to 10th, 11th place.”


Michael Grabner and Kyle Okposo scored for New York. The Islanders have lost four in a row.


New York’s Brian Rolston left the game because of a concussion in the first period. He had played only five shifts, totaling 3:47 of ice time.


“Rolston is day-to-day with concussion symptoms,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said.


Kevin Poulin made 26 saves in his first start of the season. He’s the fifth goalie to start for the Islanders this season, joining Rick DiPietro, Evgeni Nabokov, Al Montoya and Anders Nilsson.


“Poulin was great,” Capuano said.


The Islanders didn’t give Poulin a lot of early support, and Eriksson opened the scoring at 8:36 of the first with a front-of-the-goal redirection of Benn’s centering pass. Eriksson was credited with a secondary assist on Benn’s game-winner and also finished with two points.


“It’s the same old, `Shoot pucks, go to the net,”’ Gulutzan said about Benn and Eriksson.


Eriksson had not scored a goal in eight games and hadn’t had a point in five. Benn only had two goals and three assists in his previous 10 games.


Grabner tied it with 3:32 left in the period. Grabner he slipped behind Trevor Daley, and Okposo’s centering feed went in off Grabner’s skate. A review confirmed Grabner didn’t kick the puck into the goal.


Okposo gave the Islanders 2-1 lead off a rebound with 1:36 left in the second.


“We have to get better at playing with a lead,” New York’s P.A. Parenteau said.


But the lead only lasted until 1:07 into the third, with Morrow tying it on a power play with a quick one-timer from the top of the crease. The goal was Dallas’ lone score in six power plays.


“It was one of the plays we thought might be there. (Steve Ott) might tell you he was trying to sauce (a pass, but we) got a lucky bounce,” Morrow said.


Benn’s goal gave the Stars a lead it would not relinquish and it came off of a rush following a scramble in front of Bachman. New York defenseman Mark Streit pinched in to keep the offensive pressure on, but when Benn took the puck and began skating up ice, there was not an Islander to be found.


Benn ripped a shot over Poulin’s glove.


“We had four guys below the hash marks and that shouldn’t happen,” Capuano said. “A couple mistakes in the third cost us the game.”


Added Poulin: We gave them the game.”


New York failed to score on its three power plays.


NOTES: The Islanders called up Poulin and highly regarded defenseman Calvin De Haan from Bridgeport of the AHL, and put DiPietro on injured reserve because of a strained groin. … Even though his three-game suspension for charging New York right wing Nino Niederreiter was up in New York’s 5-4 win over Dallas on Dec. 3, Stars defenseman Mark Fistric was a healthy scratch. Niederreiter, who sustained a concussion from the hit, has not played since that game. … Dallas and New York split the season series. … Dallas’ three-games-in-four-days swing through the metropolitan area will conclude Friday night in Newark against the Devils.


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posted by Denis P. Gorman at 2:24 PM

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

December 14, 2011, Column on Sheldon Kennedy's heroism for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Sheldon Kennedy: A real hero Print
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Written by Denis Gorman
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 00:39


The word hero often has a misplaced context, like the quarterback throwing the game-winning touchdown. Its real use is reserved for men such as Sheldon Kennedy, who testified before Congress about being a sexual abuse victim.


Denis Gorman

Hero.


The word is small and nearly infinitesimal, yet its connotation entails significance.


It also is a word whose use has been bastardized in sports. The quarterback who throws the last second, game-winning touchdown pass is labeled a hero.


The quarterback is not a hero.


Sheldon Kennedy is a hero.


Kennedy testified in front of the Senate Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions about child sex abuse in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky and Bernie Fine scandals at Penn State and Syracuse Universities.

His testimony comes 15 years after the former NHL player came forward as a sexual abuse victim. While living his childhood dream, Kennedy was the victimized by the hands of a vile sociopath named Graham James.

“Punishing the bad guys makes us feel good, but it does not fully solve the problem,” Kennedy told the Subcommittee. “In my case, my abuser was International Hockey Man of the Year. In Canada, that gave him almost God-like status. Sound familiar? The man who preyed on me took advantage of his position as a coach to look for children who were especially vulnerable. These kids – and often their parents too – looked up to him as a hero. This was someone who could make their dreams come true and he used that trust to hurt them.”


The stories that have emanated from State College, Pa., and Syracuse, NY, have been horrifying and ceaseless. Each day, it seems, disturbing aspects are revealed about the crimes Sandusky and Fine committed against those who cannot protect themselves.


Four hours and five minutes northwest of Washington D.C., where Kennedy was performing a hero’s duties, Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator at Penn State, and his lawyer, Joe Amendola, shocked a courtroom in Bellefonte, Pa., by passing on a hearing regarding the charges he faces.


According to the Associated Press, a number of Sandusky’s accusers were prepared to testify. Following the announcement in the courtroom, Amendola declared that the alleged victims' charges were an attempt to grab money from his client. Both ploys were efforts to defend Sandusky, which is Amendola’s job description.

However, Ben Andreozzi, the lawyer for Victim 4, equated Amendola’s client to a “coward" when he spoke to reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday.


Coincidentally, Kennedy spoke Monday about the importance of victims confronting humanity’s insignificant worms that ruined their lives, their innocence.


“Pedophiles and perpetrators, they prey on social ignorance and social indifference around these issues. They love it,” Kennedy said.

Sheldon Kennedy and another Graham James victim, Theo Fleury, are among the reasons Canada has been a leader in the fight against pedophilia.

“I believe that we need to get our power back, we need to confront the person who abused us and we need to know that it wasn't our fault and that he was in the wrong.


“Laws are not easy to change, and social change is hard. But when you look at what we've done and what we've been able to do in Canada, I think we've been able to accomplish both. We've learned a lot and we're talking solutions up there more than they are down here; they're talking disbelief.”


Kennedy and another James victim, Theo Fleury, are among the reasons Canada has been a leader in the fight against pedophilia. Even if Montreal Gazette columnist Pat Hickey wrote a controversial column this week labeling Fleury an "enabler," stating it's “hypocritical that Fleury can blast the (Canadian) justice system for giving James two months of freedom when he provided his former coach with years.”

“(Canada is) going to continue to be world leaders on the prevention of abuse, and this is going to propel us to go even further," Kennedy continued. “We're over the hump, we're about solution in Canada. People are now coming forward in Canada because they feel safe. Americans have a lot to learn from us. We're a lot further advanced.”


Because of Sheldon Kennedy’s heroic actions.


On Twitter: @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman

Last Updated on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 01:27

http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/columns/sheldon-kennedy-a-real-hero

posted by Denis P. Gorman at 3:49 PM

December 14, 2011, Dallas Stars-New York Rangers game story for Metro Newspaper in NYC

x


Rangers lose to Stars in final minutes

BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES

Henrik Lundqvist gave everybody a scare in the second when he was injured after being hit by a puck. He stayed in the game.

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DENIS GORMAN
NEW YORK

Published: December 13, 2011 9:58 p.m.
Last modified: December 13, 2011 10:58 p.m.
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This was not how Brad Richards envisioned the first match against his former team.


For 55 minutes, neither the Rangers nor the Stars could figure out a way to slip a puck behind the opposing netminder. Then in a second, an anonymous Dallas defenseman named Trevor Daley slipped into the slot and shoved a Mike Ribeiro rebound under Henrik Lundqvist’s pads.


Daley’s goal with 4:59 left in regulation was the game-winner in the Rangers’ 1-0 loss to the Stars last night at the Garden. The loss was only the Rangers’ seventh in regulation and the second shutout loss of the season.


The first 40 minutes were an ode to the Dead Puck Era. Neither team was able generate sustained pressure in the offensive zone. The Rangers and Stars clogged the neutral and offensive zones, forcing the majority of shots to come from the periphery.


At the second intermission, the game was scoreless and the Rangers had outshot Dallas, 21-20.


The only energy in the building came after referees Ian Walsh and Don VanMassenhoven had erroneously and incredibly penalized Carl Hagelin for charging Stars goaltender Richard Bachman (34 saves) in the first period and the Brandon Prust-Jake Dowell center ice bout in the second period.


Hagelin collided with Bachman at the right faceoff dot in the Dallas zone as both simultaneously tried to gain possession of a loose puck. Hagelin, who was pushed into the goaltender by a Stars player, somersaulted onto Bachman, who lost his mask. It was in no way reminiscent of the hits Boston Bruin Milan Lucic and Nashville Predator Jordin Tootoo laid on Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller.


John Tortorella emphatically criticized the call when it happened — along with an announced 18,200 job performance analysts — and later, during a stoppage in play in the period, continued to express his disbelief with the penalty to Walsh.


“What explanation? I don’t even know what to say. I don’t even know. It should be a non-call. Sometimes I think they have to call something. It should be a non-call as far as I’m concerned,” Tortorella said evenly. “I told [Hagelin] to do it again. To skate and do it again. The goalie charged him. The goalie was out 20 feet. Hags [is] just going after the puck. That’s Hags’ job — to go after the puck. So I said, ‘Do it again.’”


The Rangers received a scare in the second period when Henrik Lundqvist (27 saves) went down on all fours after being hit between his shoulder and collarbone by a slapshot from Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray. Lundqvist, who repeatedly shook his arm in an attempt to get feeling back, was attended to by trainer Jim Ramsay.


“It’s pretty stiff. I’m sure it’s going to be stiff for a few days. I was lucky. I thought it was the collarbone. It felt like the whole shoulder was a couple feet behind me,” Lundqvist said. “I knew it was going to be a hard one. I saw that he had that much time to put power behind it. … He’s up there with [Zdeno] Chara and [Shea] Weber for hardest shot.”


Lundqvist was not under siege, but he was good when his team needed him to be. That was most obvious when he forced Stars left wing Eric Nystrom to shoot high and wide while the Dallas forward was bearing down on a shorthanded breakaway midway through the third period. Nystrom had gained control of a puck that had jumped over Dan Girardi’s stick in the offensive zone and was in on Lundqvist.



Follow NHL beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman for updates on all the local teams even when we can’t get them in the paper.


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posted by Denis P. Gorman at 3:46 PM