Bolts’ head coach Boucher heading to Europe and Conacher an MVP

Posted Apr 13, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Apr 13, 2012 at 04:04 PM

Tampa Bay head coach Guy Boucher will head to the world championships while Cory Conacher is a most valuable player for the Norfolk Admirals.

Boucher was named as an assistant coach for Team Canada for the World Championships, which will take place in Sweden and Finland beginning May 4. Boucher has served as a coach for Canada on three other occasions, with the 2009 World Junior team that captured gold and twice for the Under-18 teams in 2008 and 2006. Boucher, along with Carolina coach Kirk Muller, will help head coach Brent Sutter, who accepted the invitation on Friday.

Boucher joins Lightning right wing Teddy Purcell on Team Canada. Tampa Bay will also be represented at the World Championships by forwards J.T Brown and Nate Thompson for USA and defenseman Victor Hedman for Sweden.

Conacher, meanwhile, was named MVP of the American Hockey League on Friday becoming just the fourth rookie in league history to be voted league MVP. On Thursday Conacher, a free agent signee out of Canisius College, was named the league’s most outstanding rookie. The 22-year-old was second in the league in scoring (75 points) and goals (35) heading into Friday’s game at Albany. The Admirals carried a league-record 25-game winning streak into the final weekend of the regular season.

The award is the fourth this week given to Norfolk following the announcement of Jon Cooper as the coach of the year, Mark Barberio as the AHL’s top defenseman and Conacher’s awards the past two days. The Admirals are the first team in league history to win all four league awards in the same season.

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Three Lightning players to make international debut at World Championships

Posted Apr 11, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Apr 11, 2012 at 09:19 PM

Three Tampa Bay Lightning players were officially named to their respective national teams for next month’s World Championships in Sweden and Finland.

Newly signed forward J.T. Brown joins Nate Thompson on the initial roster for USA while Teddy Purcell was named to Canada’s roster. All three will be making their international debuts.

Brown, 21, joined the Lightning for the final five games of the season after signing as a free agent out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth and picked up his first career point with an assist in the season finale in Winnipeg. Brown led Minnesota-Duluth this season with 23 goals. Thompson, 27, just completed his second full season with Tampa Bay since being claimed off waivers from the New York Islanders.

Purcell is coming off a career year in which he set highs with 24 goals, 41 assists and 65 points in 81 games.

Victor Hedman is also expected to be named to represent Sweden, according to Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman, but the official roster has not been released.

In addition, TSN television reported Lightning head coach Guy Boucher has accepted an invitation to serve as an assistant head coach, though Boucher said on Wednesday that nothing has been finalized. There is speculation that Boucher could be named the head coach after Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff declined the invitation on Wednesday.

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Steven Stamkos and the You Can Play Project

Posted Mar 25, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Mar 25, 2012 at 01:41 PM

If you missed my column on Steven Stamkos and his involvement in the You Can Play Project, started by the brother of Brendan Burke who struggled with being a gay athlete before coming out of the closet, you can read it here

But you can see the public service announcement Stamkos taped for the initiative below. Stamkos is one of several NHL players to tape a similar video for the cause, including Florida defenseman Brian Campbell, who is part of the video below with Stamkos. Other names to lend their voices to the cause include Henrik Lundqvist, Claude Giroux and Zdeno Chara.

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Tampa Bay Lightning sign Alex Killorn to a two-year deal

Posted Mar 19, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Mar 19, 2012 at 04:09 PM

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed top prospect Alex Killorn to a two-year, two-way contract on Monday, two days after Killorn’s collegiate career at Harvard University came to an end. A third-round pick in 2007, the Lightning attempted to sign Killorn last summer but he opted to return to Harvard for his senior season. The 23-year-old enjoyed his best season this year finishing with 23 goals and 46 points while earning first-team all ECAC and was a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award. Harvard lost to Union (N.Y.) in the ECAC championship game on Saturday was the Crimson were not selected as an at-large team for the 16-team field for the NCAA Hockey Championships.

The contract is for 2012-13 and 2013-14. If he were to play in Norfolk, Tampa Bay’s affiliate in the American Hockey League, he would likely be signed to a tryout contract for the remainder of the season, but that has not been determined at this point.

Here is the full release from the team:

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Alex Killorn to a two-year, two-way contract, Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced today.

Killorn, 22, played in 34 games with Harvard University this season, recording 23 goals and 46 points to go along with 47 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound forward ranked first on Harvard in goals and points and was second in assists. Killorn ranked third in the Eastern College Athletic Conference in goals and was fourth in points. He was named to the 2012 ECAC First Team All-League and was a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate player.

The Halifax, Nova Scotia native has skated in 130 career games with Harvard over the past four seasons, recording 53 goals and 109 points to go along with 155 penalty minutes. He is the first Harvard player to record 50 goals in his collegiate career since 2004.

The Lightning selected Killorn in the third round, 107th overall, at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

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New Lightning goaltender Caron signed; injury updates

Posted Mar 19, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Mar 19, 2012 at 02:48 PM

Looking for some relief in net, the Lightning announced the signing of former NHL goaltender Sebastien Caron to a one-year prorated contract on Monday.

Caron, who last played in the NHL in 2007, spent this season with the Islerohn Roosters in the German Elite League posting a 25-23 with a 2.57 goals against average, .932 save percentage and five shutouts, which was second in the league.

Because Caron played in Europe this season, he was required to be placed on waivers on Monday and has until noon on Tuesday to clear. Because the 31-year-old was signed after the trade deadline, he would not be eligible to play for another team this season, making it unlikely another team would put in a claim.

With Mathieu Garon out with a groin injury since March 6, the Lightning were looking for somebody with some NHL experience. Tampa Bay has been relying on rookie G Dustin Tokarski, who will start Monday against Buffalo, to carry the load but has been unable to stabilize the position with a 1-2-1 record with a 2.79 goals against average and .901 save percentage.

Monday morning Caron already had his gear hanging up in a locker stall and was around the locker room, but did not go on the ice with the team for the morning skate. He said he was a bit surprised when he was told of Tampa Bay’s interest in signing him for the rest of the season.

“I had a pretty good year this year, and it’s sad with the situation here where Mathieu got hurt, but it gives me a shot and I’m ready for it,’’ Caron said. “It’s nice to be back and I’m looking forward to it.’’

Caron, a veteran of 92 games mostly with Pittsburgh from 2002-2006, said he’s not sure what kind of an opportunity this might mean for possibly getting back to the NHL after spending the past five seasons in Europe.

“To be honest, I jut go with the flow,’’ he said. “I just want to enjoy my time here and hopefully get some playing time, do my best and try to show something. This came up just a few days ago, and why not, you know. I’m not going to say no to that.’’

Extended Laundry List

One-by-one the Lightning injury list continues to creep back up to a significant number.

Adam Hall became the latest to have to sit out due to injury after suffering an undisclosed upper-body injury that will keep him out of tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. That brings the total number of regulars currently out of the lineup to eight, which includes: Vinny Lecavalier (hand), Ryan Shannon (upper body), Nate Thompson (upper body), Garon (groin), Marc-Andre Begeron (back surgery), Mattias Ohlund (knee) and Dana Tyrell (knee surgery)

“I have the choice, either I start crying – which I felt like – or I just look at it as it is ridiculous and you just have to go with it,’’ Lightning head coach Guy Boucher said. “We’ve got two lines that are American League guys but they work hard and they battle and they give us a chance to stay in games. Our defense, we have some new young guys that we are grooming that were in the American League before and we are not going to put pressure on these guys . . . to come here and be the saviors. The reality is that everybody has their own pace of development and we want to respect that. At the same time we want to put our best game on the ice with the players that are here.’’

Boucher indicated that Shannon might miss the remainder of the season, but was awaiting test results before any sort of determination was made. Boucher also said he didn’t believe Halls’ injury would be considered short term.

With the list growing long, LW Pierre-Cedric Labrie was called up from Norfolk of the American Hockey League and will be in the lineup against Buffalo. In addition RW Brandon Segal, who has been a healthy scratch for the past seven games will also be in the lineup.

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Lightning to sign a new goaltender

Posted Mar 17, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Mar 17, 2012 at 08:34 PM

The website for German team Iserlohn Roosters stated the Lightning have signed former NHL G Sebastien Caron to a contract for the remainder of the season. Tampa Bay general manager said he expects the deal to be announced on Monday. Caron has to clear waivers before joining the Lightning which means he would be eligible to play no sooner than Thursday against Edmonton.

In 92 career NHL games, all but two with Pittsburgh, Caron has a career record of 25-47-12 with a 3.45 goals against average and .892 save percentage. He has spent the past five seasons in Europe. In 49 games with Iserlohn this season Caron posted a 2.57 goals against average an .932 save percentage.

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Tampa Bay Lightning set to open renovated box office, new apparel store

Posted Mar 13, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Mar 13, 2012 at 07:30 PM

Some pretty cool stuff here on the grand reopening of the box office, which will take place on Thursday, so rather than bore you with trying to hit all the highlights, you can check it out below:

The Tampa Bay Times Forum will be opening its doors to the newly transformed McDonald’s Ticket Office on Thursday, March 15 at 9 a.m. The first 500 individuals at the ticket office will receive a complimentary ticket to the Tampa Bay Storm’s home opener on Friday, March 16 against the Georgia Force.

Any customer that purchases a ticket at the new ticket office between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday will receive a coupon good for $10 off merchandise in the Tampa Bay Sports retail store.

AM 620 WDAE’s The Ron and Ian Show will be live from 9 a.m. to noon at the new McDonald’s Ticket Office. Fans are encouraged to arrive early on Thursday as doors will be open to the public at 10 a.m. for the Lightning’s morning skate as they prepare to host the Toronto Maple Leafs that night. Standing room only tickets will be available for $49.75 beginning at noon for Thursday night’s sold out game. There is a limit of two per person.

In addition to the new ticket office and retail store, the MetroPCS Client Services Lounge will be opening on Thursday. The lounge is an exclusive area for season ticket members to visit Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The lounge will remain open from 9 a.m. until the end of the second intermission for Lightning games and from 9 a.m. until the end of halftime for Storm games. The MetroPCS Client Services Lounge is located to the left of the main staircase inside the McDonald’s Ticket Office in the Northwest corner past the ADA elevator.

Beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday, the first 200 fans will have the opportunity to buy the best seats available for the Lightning’s games against the Buffalo Sabres on March 19 and the March 22 game against the Edmonton Oilers for the low cost of just $25 a ticket. This offer excludes VIP seating, while supplies last and with a limit of four per person. 

 

There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony, which will include Stu Brown, President of McDonald’s restaurants of Tampa Bay, at 5:30 p.m. to officially open the McDonald’s Ticket Office. Also on Thursday at 6 p.m. the new Tampa Bay Sports retail store will open to fans before the Lightning vs. Maple Leafs game at 7:30 p.m. Fans will also have the chance to save up to 50% on upcoming shows at the Times Forum, including Def Leppard, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Halen, Rammstein, 98Rockfest and Neil Diamond. 

The ticket office renovations were part of the $40 million summer Tampa Bay Times Forum transformation project, an initiative privately funded by Lightning chairman Jeff Vinik to enhance the fan experience at the Times Forum

 

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Tampa Bay Lightning sign first round draft pick Namestnikov to entry level contract

Posted Mar 13, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Mar 13, 2012 at 05:16 PM

The official announcement from the team is below, but 2011 first-round draft pick Vladislav Namestnikov was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract on Tuesday. What the contract signing now essentially does is ensure that he remains a member of the organization and he will receive a signing bonus. What it does not mean is that Namestnikov is a lock to begin his pro career next season with the Lightning. Remember, 2009 first-round pick Carter Ashton signed his entry level deal during training camp in 2009 but did not turn pro until the start of the 2011-12 season. So unless he makes a big jump over the summer and into training camp, I would expect that Namestnikov starts next season back playing for London in the Ontario Hockey League.

But hey, that’s what I though about Brett Connolly coming into training camp this season and he made the team, so Namestnikov could always change plans depending on how his summer goes.

Here is the full release from the team:

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Vladislav Namestnikov to a three-year, entry level contract, Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced today.

Namestnikov, 19, has played in 60 games with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League this season, recording 22 goals and 70 points to go along with 50 penalty minutes. The 5-foot-11, 171-pound forward ranks eighth in the OHL and leads the Knights in assists with 48, and is third on the team in points.  Namestnikov has recorded 14 multi-assist games so far this season with London, including two occasions in which he has recorded four assist contests.

The Voskresensk, Russia native has skated in 128 career games with the Knights over the past two seasons, registering 52 goals and 139 points, to go along with a +29 rating. Namestnikov appeared in six OHL playoff games last year with the Knights, recording one goal and five points.

The Lightning selected Namestnikov in the first round, 27th overall, at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

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Washington’s Mike Green suspended for hit on Lightning’s Brett Connolly

Posted Mar 9, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Mar 9, 2012 at 08:09 PM

Washington defenseman Mike Green earned a three-game suspension for a hit to the head of Tampa Bay rookie Brett Connolly during Thursday’s game.

Green landed an elbow to the head of Connolly at the 11:03 mark of the second period driving Connolly’s head into the boards. No penalty was called on the play and Connolly returned to the game in the third period, but was left with a large bump on his head.

“Green sees Connolly (bent down), slows down, waits, loads up and then targets Connolly’s head making it the principal point of contact,’’ NHL director of player safety Brendan Shanahan explained in a video presentation.

You can see the video explanation in it’s entirety here

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Steve Yzerman named Team Canada executive director for 2014 Olympics

Posted Mar 5, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Mar 5, 2012 at 07:12 PM

After leading the 2010 Canadian Olympic team to a gold medal as executive director, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman will return to the same role for he 2014 games scheduled to take place in Sochi, Russia. The announcement was made by Hockey Canada on Monday.

“The opportunity to work for Hockey Canada again is something I’m really excited about,” Yzerman said during the announcement.

In selecting the 2010 team, Yzerman was able to devote most of his time to the project as an assistant vice president with the Detroit Red Wings at the time. This time he will have to find time for his duties with Team Canada as well as keeping his focus on the Lightning, something Tampa Bay owner Jeff Vinik is not concerned about.

“Steve’s successes for Hockey Canada in 2010 helped draw us to him in our search for a General Manager that spring and I am confident that he will continue to do an excellent job for Tampa Bay while overseeing the Canadian men’s national program,’’ Vinik said in a statement released by the team. “I believe his selection is well deserved and all of us at the Lightning are proud to have our General Manager leading the charge for his home country in the 2014 Olympic Games.’’

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