Central Division
-Two days before the meet in the Winter Classic, Ty Conklin made 36 saves for the Red Wings in a 4-0 shutout of the rival Blackhawks.
Fire Ray Shero. Johan Franzen (two goals), Pavel Datsyuk (one goal, one
assist), Niklas Kronwall (two assists) and Brian Rafalski (two assists)
all contributed to Detroit's win which snapped Chicago's
franchise-record nine-game winning streak.
-Can the Winter Classic live up to all the hype?
-Is it possible to get an octopus onto the ice at Wrigley Field?
-Seats that went for $10 at last season's Winter Classic are going for $25 this time around.
-What is it about Ty Conklin (right) and outdoor games?
-Cubs legends Ferguson Jenkins, Ryne Sandberg and Billy Williams have been invited to the Winter Classic.
-Chicago took forward Adam Burish on injured reserve and put defenseman Brent Sopel on long-term injured reserve.
-Blue Jackets forward Manny Malhotra is ripping it up in the faceoff circle.
Northwest Division
-The Avalanche recalled forward Chris Durno from Lake Erie of the AHL.
-The Canucks acquired goaltender Jason LaBarbera from the Kings for a 2009 first-round draft pick.
-Vancouver put goaltender Curtis Sandford on injured reserve due to an ailing groin.
-Mats Sundin practiced with the Canucks for the first time.
-Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr is not a popular man in Edmonton.
-Oilers forward Ales Hemsky is dealing with some breathing issues.
-They have interesting nicknames in Edmonton.
-The Wild's fans are starting to get frustrated.
Pacific Division
-The Coyotes denied reports that the NHL is helping them meet payroll requirements.
-Phoenix goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is dealing with a back injury.
-The Coyotes pulled a Washington Capitals and used a public relations person in net for practice.
-Forward Steve Ott (right) has been contributing to the Stars' top line.
-Dallas put forwards Fabian Brunnstrom and Joel Lundqvist on injured reserve.
Norris Division
-Lady Byng meet Las Vegas. Could the NHL hold its award show in the desert this season?
-Today's "DUI with a Zamboni" story is brought to you by the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine. (Kudos to EN reader Alison for the heads up.)
(Photos: Conklin/Getty Images; Ott-Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Posted
Dec 31 2008, 02:56 AM
by
Seth Rorabaugh