Archive for the ‘defenseman’ tag
Phoenix rising no surprise to Jovo
Ed Jovanovski is not at all surprised that the Coyotes, the League’s youngest team, surged into playoff contention over the last month and a half.
Jovanovski highlights
Defenseman Ed Jovanovski, Phoenix’s lone representative at the NHL All-Star Game, told NHL.com that he is not at all surprised that the Coyotes, the League’s youngest team, surged into playoff contention over the last month and a half.
”As a team, once you smell that success it’s sometimes easier to grasp what it takes to be successful,” Jovanovski said. “Having said that I don’t think the critics gave us much of a chance to be successful. (Ilya) Bryzgalov really helped our team stability-wise in net, but everybody has really identified their role and we’re playing real well right now.”
Jovanovski included.
The veteran, set to play in his fifth All-Star Game, has 33 points, including 27 assists, which is second to only captain Shane Doan’s 31 assists. Doan leads the Coyotes with 47 points, but resurgent veterans Radim Vrbata (37 points), Steven Reinprecht (30 points) and defenseman Derek Morris (plus-7) have contributed to the cause.
Rookies Peter Mueller, who played Saturday night’s YoungStars Game, also has 13 goals and 17 assists. Fellow rookie Martin Hanzal has five goals and 20 assists.
– Dan Rosen
Brother, can you spare a goal? — On a weekend when offense is front and center, one of the YoungStars still has yet to score his first NHL goal.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mike Lundin was pleasantly surprised to be among the 16 players invited to take part in the YoungStars contest. But when asked about the best goal he’s scored in his career, Lundin couldn’t think of one.
“I haven’t scored many,” he said. “I don’t have one in the NHL, and I can’t think of any other ones.”
For the record, Lundin did have 13 goals in four seasons at the University of Maine, a seemingly odd choice of colleges for a native of Burnsville, Minn., who was a finalist for Minnesota’s “Mr. Hockey” Award at Apple Valley H.S.
How did a born-and-bred Minnesota kid end up playing at Maine, which doesn’t have a Minnesota native on this season’s roster?
“I flew under the radar,” he said. “I wasn’t a big recruit. Not many schools wanted a kid from Apple Valley High School. The Minnesota schools wanted me to go play in the USHL. Maine wanted me to play the next year, and it’s tough to turn down a school like Maine. They do a good job of getting guys ready for the next level.”