Any news on what the blackhawks are doing? They should definitly looking into buying some talent after their last season.

Haven't heard anything in particular, but they should have a lot of dough to play around with, since Khabi and Havlat come off the books and that's over $12M (plus, they have another 8M on top of that). Some of that's going to get used up quickly though - Barker, Bolland, and Versteeg's contracts all expire (among other players), but they'll be able to sign a high impact player if they want.

The NHL awards were tonight and they finished not too long ago. I'll post the winners up sometime (anyone who has the list, post it if i haven't gotten around to it yet). They should have had Tricia Helfer host the entire thing instead of just doing one award....preferably in a biniki.....or topless

Hart - Alexander Ovechkin
Lester B. Pearson - Alexander Ovechkin
Rocket Richard - Alexander Ovechkin
Norris - Zdeno Chara
Vezina - Tim Thomas
Jack Adams Award - Claude Julien
Selke - Pavel Datsyuk
Lady Byng - Pavel Datsyuk
Calder - Steve Mason
Jennings - Tim Thomas/Manny Fernendez

I think that's about all of them.

Edit: Art Ross - Evgeni Malkin

of those 10, 7 of them are all East Coast......no east coast bias for sure......lol. Granted some are legit recepients but still

It's basically Boston and Ovechkin, lol.

I forgot to put Malkin in for Art Ross.

A few others.

Masterton - Steve Sullivan
Messier Leadership - Jarome Iginla
King Clancy - Ethan Moreau
Fan Favourite - Roberto Luongo

Tkachuk re-signed to a 1 year contract. http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=282339

First trade of the post-season. Steve Reinprecht to Florida for Stefan Meyer. Reinprecht promptly signs a 3 year contract, with a cap hit of $2.050M. Phoenix also resigns Petr Prucha to a 2 year contract for a cap hit of $1.1M.

I found this interesting. Wonder who it is?

Brophy: Prospects on hold

A young man is set to be drafted by an NHL team on June 26, but on July 6 he faces sentencing for manslaughter in the death of a high school rugby player

It is supposed to be a highlight in his life; the culmination of years of hard work and dedication on the road to a career in professional hockey.

But while he will no doubt be chosen in the 2009 NHL entry draft next week, the date this young man has circled on his calendar is actually July 6. That is the day he is scheduled to be sentenced for manslaughter, the result of an incident in a high school rugby game in Mississauga in 2007.

Now 18, the young man cannot be identified under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act because he was 16 at the time of the incident. He became embroiled with an opponent, 15-year-old Manny Castillo, near the end of a game and drove the other player's head into the ground. Castillo suffered a pinched spinal cord and died two days later.

The defendant claimed he acted in self-defence, but Justice Bruce Duncan disagreed.

"The defendant committed an assault, an unlawful act," Duncan ruled. "That unlawful act caused death. The defendant is, therefore, guilty of manslaughter."

And now he awaits his sentencing.

The young man recently completed his second season in the Ontario Hockey League and is considered a professional prospect. NHL Central Scouting rates him among the top 100 North American skaters.

"I like him," said E.J. McGuire, the head of NHL Central Scouting. "There are nights when he controls the game and then there are other nights you watch him and you say to yourself, 'Come on kid, grab the puck and go with it.' He has (Patrick) Kane-like skill and size isn't an issue, but he needs to work on his consistency. Maybe that will come with time and maturity.

"You worry about what happened hanging over his head and wonder how big that dark cloud is. On the other hand, with what he has had to deal with, maybe it will make him more resilient. Jeremy Roenick said one of the San Jose Sharks' problems was they didn't hit any big bumps in the road this season and when they lost a couple of games in the playoffs they weren't prepared to handle adversity. This kid has handled adversity. "

The young man does not plan to attend the NHL draft, which will be held June 26-27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Those who know him well believe he has a promising future as a pro hockey player.

"First and foremost he's a terrific young man; a kid who made a mistake," his coach said. "He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He's not an angry kid; not a kid on the edge. He's an unbelievable young man.

"As an underage player two years ago he was unbelievable. Last year I think his situation got the better of him and he had a bit of an off year. He was also injured and missed considerable time. But I will say he's the kind of kid who, even when he was injured, sat in the stands for every practice and encouraged his teammates. And he was always there to help them tape their sticks or lace their skates, too."

"He is very skilled and ultra-competitive," Dallas Stars scout Jim Johnston said. "He is a deceptive skater who sees the ice very well. He had an excellent playoff this year so many believe that will help him in the draft."

"If this hadn't happened I think he'd be ranked in the first or second round," the general manager of another major junior team said.

The player's agent said his client is doing his best to pick up the pieces of his life, but is remorseful about what happened and added, "not a day goes by that he doesn't think about the other boy."

His agent added: "He is a very approachable young man and is considered a wonderful role model to younger children. He is a winner."

It's worth noting that even Manny Castillo's family didn't want him charged on the grounds that ruining another boy's life only added to the damage suffered by their son.

Regardless of what happens in Montreal, the young man knows his future is in the hands of a judge. Justice Duncan suggested youth sentencing would be appropriate in this case and jail time is not expected.

"It is one of those unfortunate things that devastated two families," the player's coach said.

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy writes Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday on Sportsnet.ca and appears regularly on Hockeycentral.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2009/06/19/brophy_draft_rugby/

Pheonix is still a team